The Cliks hit the tour trail with The New York Dolls.

By Blurt Staff

The Cliks' sophomore release Dirty King is set for June 23 release and what better way to kick it off than on a tour with The New York Dolls, which will release Coz I Said So on May 5.

As we told you, The Dolls album was produced by Todd Rundgren and band frontman David Johansen was jazzed to get the party started. Read about it here: Dolls

In the meantime, get ready to check out a show on one of these dates:

May 20- Solana Beach, CA  -Belly Up Tavern

May 21- Los Angeles, CA  - Henry Fonda Theater

May 22- Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues

May 24 - San Francisco - Grand Ballroom- Regency

May 26- Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan

May 27- Seattle, WA - El Corazon

May 28- Vancouver, BC - Richard's on Richards Cabaret

May 31- Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater

Sun June 7 - Asbury Park , NJ - New Jersey Pride  (without The New York Dolls)

What the hell does one do with a vehicle that size - dump it behind a Wal-Mart?

By Blurt Staff

PSA Time:

The Dears' tour bus was stolen Wednesday night in Montreal as the band was home packing for their six-week North American tour. The coach was taken from the parking lot of the Comfort Inn at 700 Blvd. in St. Jean, Pointe-Claire while the driver was asleep in the hotel, prior to their 6 a.m. scheduled departure. Fortunately, no luggage or gear was on board at the time of the theft and the band's trailer was left behind. True to The Dears' resilient nature, the veteran band isn't letting this minor mishap slow them down and will kick off the tour tonight in Toronto. All shows are planned as scheduled.

If anybody has any information about the stolen tour bus or knows of its whereabouts please contact your local authorities. Bus model: Prevost, Series 60. Accuride Alcoa; license plate: V957YW

THE DEARS HEADLINE TOUR WITH GREAT NORTHERN & EULOGIES:

April 30 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Mod Club *   
May 1 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Bell House
May 2 - Albany, N.Y. @ Valentines
May 4 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
May 5 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Johnny Brenda's
May 7 - Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
May 8 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Diesel
May 9 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop
May 10 - Columbus, Ohio @ Skully's
May 11 - Detroit, Mich. @ Magic Stick
May 13 - Chicago, Ill. @ Lakeshore Theater
May 14 - Columbia, Mo. @ Mojo's
May 16 - Denton, Texas @ Hailey's
May 17 - Houston, Texas @ Warehouse
May 18 - Austin, Texas @ Parish
May 21 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Rhythm Room
May 22 - San Diego, Calif. @ The Casbah
May 23 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Echoplex
May 24 - San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent
May 26 - Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir Lounge
May 27 - Seattle, Wash. @ Crocodile Lounge

THE DEARS HEADLINE TOUR WITH JETS OVERHEAD & BLACK DIAMOND BAY

May 29 - Victoria, British Columbia @ Sugar
May 30 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Richards on Richards
May 31 - Kelowna, British Columbia @ Habitat
June 2 - Calgary, Alberta @ Theatre Junction Grand
June 3 - Edmonton, Alberta @ Starlite Room
June 4 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan @ Amigos
June 5 - Regina, Saskatchewan @ Distrikt
June 6 - Winnipeg, Manitoba @ West End Cultural Center

* With Lioness only

Maybe they could just break up - that would really be something to be thankful for...

By Fred Mills

"No subtlety"; "mere platitudes"; "don't avoid the obvious"; these are among the conclusions BLURT reached when we reviewed Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends last year. So you can readily imagine the collective yawn heard ‘round the BLURT penthouse this morning at the announcement of Chris Martin & Co. planning to give away, free of charge, a live CD to fans attending their upcoming North American tour, which starts May 15 in West Palm Beach.

The bipolar-ly titled LeftRightLeftRightLeft is "a thank you to our fans - the people who give us a reason to do it and the people who make it happen," said the band, in a statement. "Playing live is what we love."

Fair enough. The CD will also be offered at all remaining 2009 shows (details tba) as well as a free download at www.coldplay.com (which means that if you find the group even more insufferable in concert than on record, you can just stay at home, listen to the new tunes, and weep softly into your Chardonnay).

Supporting Coldplay  the North American tour dates will be Pete Yorn (May 15-June 4), Snow Patrol (June 5-21), Amadou & Mariam (July 10-24), Elbow (July 25-August 9), Howling Bells (May 15-21) and Kitty Daisy & Lewis (July 10-August 9). See below for a full itinerary.

Tracklisting:

1..    Glass of Water
2.    42
3.    Clocks
4.    Strawberry Swing
5.    The Hardest Part/Postcards From Far Away
6.    Viva La Vida
7.    Death Will Never Conquer
8.    Fix You
9.    Death And All His Friends

Tour Dates:

Date    City/State        Venue                       
5/15    West Palm Beach, FL    Cruzan Amphitheatre               
5/17    Atlanta, GA        Lakewood Amphitheatre           
5/18    Birmingham, AL    Verizon Wireless Center Birmingham       
5/20    Virginia Beach, VA    Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre           
5/21    Washington, DC    Nissan Pavilion                   
5/23    Hartford, CT        Meadows                           
5/24    Hershey, PA        Hershey Stadium               
5/26    Philadelphia, PA    Susquehanna Center               
5/27    Saratoga Springs, NY    SPAC                       
5/30    Pittsburgh, PA        Post Gazette Pavilion               
6/1    Buffalo, NY        Darien Lakes                   
6/2    Detroit, MI        DTE Energy Music Theatre           
6/4    Cincinnati, OH        Riverbend Music Center           
6/5    Indianapolis, IN        Verizon Wireless Music Center           
6/6    Nashville, TN        Sommet Center                   
6/9    New Orleans, LA    New Orleans Arena               
6/10    San Antonio, TX    AT&T Center                   
6/12    Des Moines, IA        Wells Fargo Arena               
6/13    Omaha, NE        Qwest Center                   
6/15    Winnipeg, MB        MTS Centre                   
6/17    Calgary, AB        Pengrowth Saddledome               
6/18    Edmonton, AB        Northlands                   
6/20    Vancouver, BC        GM Place                   
6/21    Vancouver, BC        GM Place                   
7/10    Portland, OR        The Amphitheater at Clark County       
7/11    George, WA        The Gorge Amphitheatre           
7/13    San Francisco, CA    Shoreline Amphitheatre               
7/14    Sacramento, CA    Sleep Train Amphitheatre       
7/16    San Diego, CA        Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre           
7/18    Carson, CA         Home Depot Center                
7/19    Irvine, CA        Verizon Wireless Amphitheater               
7/21    Dallas, TX        Superpages.com Center               
7/22    Houston, TX        Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion       
7/24    Maryland Heights, MO    Verizon Wireless Amphitheater           
7/25    East Troy, WI        Alpine Valley Music Theatre           
7/30    Toronto, ON        Rogers Centre                   
8/2    Liberty State Park, NJ    All Points West Music & Arts Festival       
8/3    Mansfield, MA        Comcast Center                   
8/6    Raleigh, NC        Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion       
8/7    Charlotte, NC        Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre       
8/9    Tampa, FL        Ford Amphitheatre               

Mass cancellations of events due to swine flu fears + free guacamole dip recipe.

By Fred Mills

So much for gettin' on the good foot next Tuesday: the word for this year's Cinco de Mayo is "cancellation." Hello, swine flu paranoia (but to be fair, a big salute as well to proactive health officials).

As expected, pretty much anything that involved people gathering together in a group in Mexico has had the plug pulled; Billboard.com is reporting that scores of concert events in Mexico have been postponed or completed cancelled and promoters are "scrambling" to reschedule. The big Mexico City rock festival Vive Latino, for example, slated for May 16 and 17 and featuring Kinky, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and others, has been bumped to June 27 and 28.

"Ticketmaster's Mexican Web site," writes Billboard.com, "resembled an airport departure screen during a snow storm, with rows of concert listings followed by the same word: ‘Cancelado.'"

And lest you think this is strictly a Mexican problem, guess again: in various cities across the U.S., city officials are already pondering cancelling their own events, with some already getting the axe. In New York City, for example, a scheduled Cinco de Mayo festival in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and the Ranchera Music Festival have been cancelled in the interest of "prudence" in the face of potential risks posed by large gatherings of people. Said an event organizer, "We are not saying that the outbreak is something out of the ordinary, but given the circumstances it is better to have solidarity, as much with the community here as with Mexico."

BLURT's ADVICE: Time to hit the liquor stores, stock up on Tequila, and host your own house party with the Pinkertons, Mexican Institute of Sound and others as the soundtrack. Here's a little guacamole dip recipe we spotted at Cooks.com on the web - just add frog skin!

2 avocados, peeled
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno chile pepper, chopped fine
1 medium tomato, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup sour cream

Prepare all ingredients. Place the avocados, onions, jalepeno, tomato, and lime juice in a food processor and process on pulse till blended. Add sugar and sour cream and mix well. Place pit from avocado back into bowl to prevent browning.

If you want a chunkier guacamole, mash the avocado by hand with a fork, then add the other ingredients.

Attempts to figure out "what is music for?" by signing up random members of the public for an intriguing experiment. Must bring own mat for the Pilates session, however.

By Blurt Staff

A message from Jarvis Cocker....

Back in October 2006, when I was asked to edit The Observer Music Monthly in the UK, I asked the question "What is Music for?". Two & a half years on I would like to shorten that question to: WHAT IS MUSIC?

ALSO

I have lost count of the number of articles proclaiming the imminent or actual death of the music industry. Does this mean that music can now go back to being an art form again? & If so, is it the first art form to begin adapting itself to the post-capitalist society we now find ourselves living in? Or is it just something you get free when you buy a mobile phone? Digital content.

ALSO

What happens if you get a band to rehearse in an art gallery instead of a rehearsal space?  What if you invite members of the public to play with the band? Or invite them to submit song titles which the band then have to base an improvisation upon? Could a live band provide the accompaniment to an aerobics class? What happens if you play music from 12 noon til 7pm, 7 days a week? &  What if you invite the kids from the local school to come round on their Wednesday off?

SO

From Tuesday 5^th of May until Sunday 10^th of May I will be occupying  Galerie Chappe, 4, Rue Andre Barsacq, 75018 Paris, France (+33 1 42 62 42 12 www.galeriechappe.fr) from 12 noon til 6/7pm each day (maybe later some nights) & attempting to answer these pertinent questions. I will be assisted by the members of my band: Martin Craft, Steve Mackey, Tim McCall, Ross Orton & Simon Stafford plus, at various times, we hope to be joined by other musicians currently living in the Paris area. 

& THEN

If you live locally please come down & join in this experiment. If you don't you can follow its progress on www.jarviscocker.net which will run for the duration of the installation (more details soon). Each day will be archived & re-broadcast for the convenience of those living in different time-zones.

& FINALLY

A selection of Rankin's photography for my soon-to-be-released album  "Further Complications" will be on view during the course of this show. These images are an integral part of the exhibition & will also be offered for sale through the gallery.

TIMETABLE OF EVENTS

 MONDAY 4^th  MAY - Set-up day. Closed to the public (though no-one can stop you looking through the windows).

TUESDAY 5^th MAY

12 - 2pm - BAND REHEARSAL

2 -3pm    - BRING AN INSTRUMENT (members of the public are invited to bring an instrument with them & play along with the band. Amplification will be available for electric instruments).

3 - 4pm -  YOGA CLASS (with a qualified instructor. The band will provide suitable live accompaniment.  Participants must provide their own yoga-mat.).

4 - 5pm - IMPROVISATIONS ON A THEME (throughout the course of the exhibition a box will be available in the gallery into which members of the public can post titles, phrases, suggestions, lyrics or anything else that the band can then base improvisations around. During this hour the band will create a number of pieces based on  selections of this material).

5 - 6pm - GUEST PERFORMANCE ( an invited guest will play with the band)

WEDNESDAY 6^th MAY

12 -2pm - BAND REHEARSAL

2 - 4pm -  CHILDREN'S DAY ( French children traditionally have Wednesday off school. The band will supervise a number of music-based children's activities over the course of these 2 hours. Parental supervision is required for children under 11).

4 - 5pm -  RELAXATION  ( the band will provide musical accompaniment to a relaxation class. Participants should provide their own exercise mat).

5 - 6pm GUEST PERFORMANCE ( see Tuesday 5^th May)

THURSDAY 7^th MAY

12 - 2pm - BAND REHEARSAL

2 - 3pm   -  IMPROVISATIONS ON A THEME ( see Tuesday 5^th May)

3 - 4pm - PILATES CLASS (with a qualified instructor. The band will provide suitable live accompaniment. Participants must provide their own exercise mat)

4 - 5pm - BRING AN INSTRUMENT (see Tuesday 5^th May)

5 - 6pm - GUEST PERFORMANCE

FRIDAY 8^th MAY

12 - 2pm - BAND REHEARSAL

2 - 3pm  -   IMPROVISATIONS ON A THEME

3 - 4pm -    AEROBICS CLASS

4 - 5pm - BRING AN INSTRUMENT

5 - 6pm - GUEST PERFORMANCE

SATURDAY 9^th MAY

12 - 2pm - BAND REHEARSAL

2- 3pm     -  BRING AN INSTRUMENT

3 - 4pm   -  DANCING ( the band will play an hour of music designed to encourage people to dance. Dress appropriately)

4 - 6pm -    SET-UP FOR OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE (weather permitting)

6 - 7pm -    OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE ( the band will play a short open-air concert just outside the gallery)

SUNDAY 10^th MAY

12 - 2pm - BAND REHEARSAL

2 - 3pm  -    QUIET HOUR ( an hour of the softest music the band can play)

3 - 4pm  -   GUEST PERFORMANCE

4 - 6pm  -   REVIEW OF THE WEEK ( the band will play music written over the course of the past 6 days)

This is a very rough schedule & will be subject to change at the drop of a hat - but it does give some idea of the kind of things that will be happening. Updates will be available during the course of the exhibition through the gallery's website.

Don't miss the dancing ballerina act during the mid-show break!

By Blurt Staff

BLURT faves Cursive are currently out on the road with another fave o' ours, Man Man, and the band has just announced a June tour of the U.S. that will follow a series of UK dates, so you've got no excuse whatsoever not to see one of the most dynamic groups we've got touring this summer.

It's all in support of Mama, I'm Swollen, which dropped via Saddle Creek back in March and has been getting all kinds of good press from such "major media" as Rolling Stone, AP and Playboy as well as, uh, what we presume is  "minor media" - we reviewed the album HERE.

Here are those new dates:

JUNE 13    DENVER, CO            WESTWORD MUSIC SHOWCASE
JUNE 18    SIOUX FALLS, SD        NUTTY'S NORTH
JUNE 20    BILLINGS, MT        YELLOWSTONE VALLEY BREWERY
JUNE 21    MISSOULA, MT        THE OTHER SIDE
JUNE 22    SPOKANE, WA        KNITTING FACTORY
JUNE 23    SEATTLE, WA        NEUMO'S
JUNE 24    PORTLAND, OR        WONDER BALLROOM
JUNE 27    SAN FRANCISCO, CA    GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
JUNE 28    LOS ANGELES, CA        EL REY THEATRE
JUNE 29    POMONA, CA        GLASSHOUSE
JULY 1    SALT LAKE CITY, UT    IN THE VENUE

Previously announced dates:

APR. 30    ORLANDO, FL        THE SOCIAL* (sold out)
MAY 1    ATLANTA, GA        VARIETY PLAYHOUSE*
MAY 2    CARRBORO, NC        CAT'S CRADLE*
MAY 3    WASHINGTON, DC        BLACK CAT*
MAY 4    STATE COLLEGE, PA    THE STATE THEATRE*
MAY 5    PITTSBURGH, PA        DIESEL*
MAY 6    DETROIT, MI            MAGIC STICK*
MAY 7    MILWAUKEE, WI        TURNER HALL#
MAY 8    MINNEAPOLIS, MN        FIRST AVENUE
MAY 9    CHICAGO, IL            BOTTOM LOUNGE#
MAY 12    LONDON, UK        DINGWALLS
MAY 14    CARDIFF, UK        CLWB IFOR BACH
MAY 15    BRIGHTON, UK        THE GREAT ESCAPE
MAY 16    BIRMINGHAM, UK        HARE AND HOUNDS
MAY 17    NORWICH, UK        ARTS CENTRE
MAY 18    MANCHESTER, UK        ACADEMY 3
MAY 19    YORK, UK            FIBBERS
MAY 20    NEWCASTLE, UK        ACADEMY 2
MAY 21    LONDON, UK        STAG & DAGGER FESTIVAL
MAY 22    LEEDS, UK            STAG & DAGGER FESTIVAL
MAY 23    GLASGOW, UK        STAG & DAGGER FESTIVAL
MAY 24    NOTTINGHAM, UK        DOT TO DOT FESTIVAL
* with MAN MAN
# with P.O.S.

Performers include Dave Matthews, Sonic Youth, Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Wille Nelson, M. Ward, St. Vincent, Okkervil River...

By Blurt Staff

Tired of TV reruns? ‘fraid it's almost summertime, kids. But never fear, we have something you can look forward to: the next season of Austin City Limits, which kicks off October 3 on PBS. This will mark the venerable series' 35^th anniversary.

En route: performances by Dave Matthews, reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney, iconic and influential bands Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys and Sonic Youth, renowned singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, rocker Ben Harper and Relentless7, and a very special joint performance by Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel. (Nelson appeared on the original pilot episode, recorded in October 1974, and Asleep at the Wheel appeared on the first episode of the first official season in 1976.)

Others slated to appear are M Ward, Andrew Bird, Madeleine Peyroux, St. Vincent, Heartless Bastards, Okkervil River and Band of Heathens. Broadcast dates will be announced soon.

"We had high hopes for our 35th anniversary, but never expected to pull together a season like this" said ACL producer Terry Lickona, in a statement. "We've scored major coups with some of the biggestnames in rock and some of the best touring bands in the world. And we're excited to continue toshowcase the best new and emerging sounds wherever they come from, including some of the hottest bands making waves in Austin and beyond. After three and a half decades it seems likeeverybody still wants to stand on that stage and be a part of ACL history."

History indeed - ACL is without a doubt one of America's most important music shows ever.

May the 4th be with you! From your friendly neighborhood Blurt....

Probably shouldn't have pressed the issue about scoring that "Firestarter" remake... touchy subject for Drew, we here...

By Fred Mills

DEVO founder, Rugrats scorer and all around sonic subversive Mark Mothersbaugh is apparently on the outs with actress Drew Barrymore, who had initially tagged him to compose the score to Whip It!, the Rollergirl-themed flick that is to star Juno's Ellen Page (and will mark Barrymore's directorial debut), due in October from Fox Searchlight. Now, though, according to Mothersbaugh, the deal is off.

He was quoted as saying, of Barrymore, "She hired me and fired me in all of like two weeks. I got snippy with her. She cancelled out on showing up at the studio three times and I kicked Devo out every single time and had an engineer come in and set up the studio and the third time I got pissy with her on the phone. And she said she just doesn't think our styles work together. So I got fired."

No word yet on Mothersbaugh's replacement. Artists set to have songs on the soundtrack include Peaches, Turbo Fruits, Har Mar Superstar and others. No word on whether or not one of them will be covering DEVO's classic tune "Whip It"....

About time we got a chance to revisit that Aragon concert from '84...

By Fred Mills

R.E.M.'s second full-length, 1984's Reckoning - arguably on par with 1983's Murmur as both a sign o' the times and a benchmark of the alterna-generation - is set to get the deluxe edition treatment. On June 23, IRS/UMe will reissue the album as a remastered/expanded two-CD set featuring, on the bonus disc, the June 7, 1984, R.E.M. concert from Chicago's Aragon Ballroom that was originally broadcast over WXRT-FM (and subsequently spawned a raft of high quality bootlegs). The band's biographer Tony Fletcher will pen liner notes for the set, and it will also be coming out on vinyl simultaneously with a vinyl edition of Murmur. See the official press release, below.

This comes on the heels of the deluxe edition for Murmur which, as we've noted previously, is a fantastic document but one which could have perhaps been served more fully by the inclusion of additional bonus material. There is no indication that this new Reckoning will include any of the known studio outtakes from the original recording sessions, or sessions proximate to the album's general time frame ("Cushy Tush" or "Hey Hey Nadine," anyone?), but fans can always hope.

Previously, import CD reissues of the album had included bonus tracks "Wind Out," "Pretty Persuasion (live)," "Tighten Up," "Moon River" and "White Tornado (live)".

Read our review of Murmur here.

***

Reckoning "confirms R.E.M. as one of the most beautifully exciting groups on the planet," wrote NME in 1984. R.E.M.'s second full-length album also prompted The Washington Post to proclaim that "there isn't an American band worth following more than R.E.M." Twenty-five years later, Reckoning remains a fan favorite for capturing R.E.M. during the youthful freshness of a new, fiercely independent American music scene.

The two-CD Reckoning - Deluxe Edition (I.R.S./A&M/UMe), released June 23, 2008, features the original album remastered plus a bonus disc of a previously unreleased concert recorded during the band's Little America tour at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom on July 7, 1984 and broadcast on WXRT. In addition, Reckoning and R.E.M.'s 1983 debut album Murmur will be simultaneously reissued on audiophile quality 180 gram vinyl in their complete original packaging.

On the Deluxe Edition's bonus disc, the group not only performs eight of Reckoning's ten songs, "Gardening At Night" from 1982's Chronic Town EP and "Radio Free Europe," "9-9" and "Sitting Still" from Murmur but also new songs that had yet to make it onto tape: "Driver 8" would later debut on R.E.M.'s third album and "Hyena" on its fourth.

Inclusion of the live concert is particularly appropriate for Reckoning - Deluxe Edition. Whereas Murmur had been complex and painstakingly deliberate, the band's Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, along with producers Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, saw Reckoning as a "chance to turn up the volume, tear up the rule book, and capture instead R.E.M.'s on-stage mojo," according to the Deluxe Edition liner notes by author Tony Fletcher. Even as Stipe lyrically delved into darker subject matter and the album included the band's first true ballads -- the melancholic "Time After Time (Annelise)" and "Camera" -- other tracks revealed a band steeped in the immediacy of playing gigs in a college town, from the pulsating "7 Chinese Bros.," hard-rocking "Little America" and anthemic "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" to the melodically evocative "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)," "Letter Never Sent" and "Pretty Persuasion."

Reckoning peaked on the charts at #27, nine spots higher than Murmur (Rolling Stone's 1983 Album of the Year) and was eventually certified gold. R.E.M. would go on to score #1-charting quadruple platinum albums and win worldwide adoration. In 2007, in its first year of eligibility, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Foxbase Alpha and Continental due May 18 in expanded formats.

By Fred Mills

With Britain's Saint Etienne set to resurrect their early ‘90s classic Foxbase Alpha for the concert stage next week, Bob, Pete and Sarah disclosed this morning details of the upcoming Deluxe Edition for the album. There's also to be a similar treatment for 1997's Continental, a rarities/odds-and-sods collection previously available only as a Japanese import. Both will be available starting May 18, and there's to be a limited edition of Foxbase Alpha as well arriving in July.

According to the band, "[The reissues[ are 2cd sets, in shiny plastic wallets, with plenty of unseen photos and memorabilia from the period. As well as the relevant b-sides, and various alternate takes, each will include a clutch of unreleased songs."

Foxbase Alpha will include the previously unheard tracks "Sally Space" (described as "pretty good, but oddly entirely forgotten by all three of us"), "Chase HQ" ("as premiered on Resonance FM a couple of weeks back"), and "The Reckoning" ("full spy mode instrumental")

For Continental, new extras will be "Where Did Our Love Go" ("lost somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic according to this high-powered melancholic dancer"), "We Could Have It All" ("celebrating the magic of teamwork") and "Under Her Spell" ("jagged electro love song").

And of that limited Foxbase? "It's coming out in a gorgeous limited edition of 1,000 set - as seen in the Guardian! Thanks to the international piracy problem (we're not kidding) it will ship in July, but can be pre-ordered during May. We'll offer a link via the official Saint Etienne site first, and it will be available to international buyers. So what do you get? A 6" tall model of a Subbuteo player in the classic green and white Saint Etienne strip; a reprint of the original album poster; 4 unique Foxbase badges (or pins); a cd of the remastered double disc album. It all comes in a beautifully designed, vintage Etienne-green presentation box. It's truly lovely - we've seen one! Something for your children, and your children's children, to go gooey-eyed over, before they tear the box to bits and pull the player's head off."

Well, all right then! Nothing like going gooey-eyed where Saint Etienne is concerned.

Next in the pipeline will be deluxe reissues of So Tough (from 1993) and Sound of Water (released in 2000, during the band's tenure on Sub Pop here in the States), and the band promises details are coming soon "but we've been rather shocked and surprised by how many forgotten relics are lurking in various cupboards and cellars" so presumably those are still being brainstormed.

Foxbase Alpha Tracklisting:

Disc: 1

1. This Is Radio Etienne - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

2. Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Saint Etienne

3. Wilson - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

4. Carnt Sleep - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

5. Girl VII - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

6. Spring - Saint Etienne

7. She's The One - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

8. Stoned To Say The Least - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

9. Nothing Can Stop Us - Saint Etienne

10. Etienne Gonna Die - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

11. London Belongs To Me - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

12. Like The Swallow - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

13. Dilworth's Theme - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

Disc: 2

1. Kiss And Make Up - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

2. Filthy - Saint Etienne

3. Chase HQ - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

4. Sally Space - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

5. The Reckoning - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

6. Speedwell - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

7. Parliament Hill - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Ian Catt, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs

8. People Get Real - Saint Etienne

9. Sweet Pea - Saint Etienne

10. Winter In America - Saint Etienne

11. Fake 88 - Saint Etienne

12. Studio Kinda Filthy - Saint Etienne

13. Kiss And Make Up - Saint Etienne

14. Sky's Dead - Saint Etienne

Continental Tracklisting:

Disc: 1

1. Shad Thames - Saint Etienne, Gerard Johnson

2. Burnt Out Car - Saint Etienne, Mat Gray

3. Sometimes In Winter - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt

4. Winter Melody - Saint Etienne, The Psychonauts

5. Public Information Film - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt

6. The Process - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt

7. He's On The Phone - Saint Etienne

8. Stormtrooper In Drag - Brian Higgins, Saint Etienne

9. Star - Ian Catt, Saint Etienne

10. Down By The Sea - Saint Etienne, Gerard Johnson

11. The Sea - Mike Bolton, Saint Etienne

12. Lonesome - Ian Catt, Saint Etienne

13. Angel - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt, Broadcast

Disc: 2

1. Accident - Saint Etienne

2. Is It True - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt

3. Where Did Our Love Go - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt

4. Groveley Road - Ian Catt, Saint Etienne

5. How I Learned To Love The Bomb - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt

6. Postal Interlude - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt

7. Can't Stop Now - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Mark Waterfield

8. Under Her Spell - Saint Etienne, Sarah Cracknell, Mark Waterfield

9. Saturday - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt, Fugu

10. Suburban Autumn Lieutenant - Saint Etienne, Ian Catt

11. We Could Have It All - Saint Etienne, Gerard Johnson

12. Lover Plays The Bass - Saint Etienne

13. Home - Guy Batson, Saint Etienne

14. Burnt Out Car - Saint Etienne

18 All New Studio Tracks Produced By Don Cannon & The Cool Kids.

By Blurt Staff


Because summer's almost here and wouldn't be complete without the mixtape to rival all mixtapes, Chicago's favorite duo of MCs, The Cool Kids, are releasing an album's worth of new tracks on Gone Fishing (Cake Recordings) for free today! Gone Fishing includes 18 all new, unreleased studio tracks produced by The Cool Kids and mixed by legendary ATL DJ, producer and Gangsta Grillz host, Don Cannon.

The mixtape, the official prelude to the upcoming LP, When Fish Ride Bicycles, features appearances from Ryan Leslie, GLC, Ludacris, Bun B and newcomers Tennille and Jahda.  A limited run of hard copy CDs with art will be pressed and sold exclusively at specialty retail outlets with the purchase of a Cool Kid's limited edition t-shirt or fitted cap.

Download Gone Fishing: www.coolxkids.com


Tracklisting:

1.  Introduction to Ice Fishing
2.  Hammer Brothers
3.  Champions
4.  Gold Links
5.  Cinnamon
6.  Premium Blends
7.  Step Back
8.  Jump Rope feat. Tennille
9.  The Last Stretch feat. Jahda
10.  The Art of Noise (interlude)
11.  The Light Company
12.  Popcorn
13.  Wise Words by GLC -Told by GLC
14.  Pennies (the updated rosters) Remix feat. Ludacris & Bun B
15.  Broadcasting Live
16.  Takin' a Break
17.  Tune Up
18.  Weekend Girls feat. Ryan Leslie
19.  Summer Vacations
20.  Words of Wisdom by GLC - Told by GLC
21.  Knocked Down

Michelle Shocked rocks new 10-song collection

By Nancy Dunham

It's probably unfair that Michelle Shocked's name conjures an image of her in handcuffs as she struggled with police at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco.

Of course Shocked used the photo (which was published on the front page of the San Francisco Examiner) of herself in the chokehold on the cover of one of her best-known album Short Sharp Shocked. Even her professional name (she was born Karen Michelle Johnston) is a reminder of that day; when asked her name by police she said Michelle Shocked, as a play on the term "Shell Shocked." But despite what some think, the woman is about much more than that one day - or one cause, genre or feeling, for that matter.

She's back this month with a new album Soul of My Soul, a prelude to future collaborations with the man she loves, fine artist David Willardson. The 10-song collection -- set for May 26 release --  is a rocker with plenty of songs about Willardson, who Shocked calls the "official love of my life." But lest you think love has softened Shocked's civil outrage, she includes songs such as "Other People," a clear swipe at the last Presidential administration and what she calls "Bush's America."

As much as we love Shocked's last release - ToHeavenURide -- a gospel album digitally recorded at 2003 Telluride Bluegrass Festival, it's great to have her back in rock and roll form.

Watch BLURT for a review of the album soon.

Tour dates:

May 6 - Hugh's Room - Toronto, Ont.

May 7 - Sydenham United Church - Kingston, Ont.

May 8 - One Longfellow Square - Portland, Maine

May 9 - Tupelo Music Hall - Londonderry, N.H.

May 10 - Iron Horse Music Hall - Northampton, Mass.

May 14 - City Winery - New York, NY

May 15 - Puck - Doylestown, Pa.

May 16 - Ram's Head Tavern - Annapolis, Md.

May 17 - Beyond November Coalition Fundraiser - Los Angeles

June 15 - Myrna Loy Center - Helena, Mt.

June 19 - Space - Evanston, Ill.

June 20- Midwest Renewable Energy Fair - Custer, Wisc.

Aug. 13 - Sandpoint Festival - Sandpoint, Idaho

Aug. 14 - Brewery Arts Center - Carson City, Nev.

For more information, go to Michelle Shocked

Well, it's not exactly "Tea For the Tillerman" quality, but...

By Fred Mills

Cat Stevens, aka Yusuf Islam, is talking to the British press, an when that cat talks, folks listen. Specifically, he's accusing Coldplay of ripping off one of his songs - in fact, it's the much-maligned C-play tune "Viva La Vida" that's once again causing trouble.

Said the songwriter, "There's been this argument about Coldplay stealing this melody from Joe Satrianai, but, if you listen to it, it's mine! It's the ‘Foreigner Suite,' it is!" According to Britain's The Sun, Stevens "claims it incorporates ‘substantial original portions' of his song and is seeking ‘any and all profits' from the track."

Shit, by the time we're done with this there won't BE any profits - every songwriter on the planet, from Satch to Stevens to that nobody band called Creaky Boards will be getting a piece of the Chris Martin pie.

Stevens added that there's a plausible connection for all this too: he and Coldplay have in common mixing specialist Michael H. Brauer, who has worked with both artists.

Actually, this is all getting kinda ridiculous. If you have to rip off THREE different bands to create a song, by the time you're finished, it probably qualifies as an original composition!

Joe Meek, Joe Dallesandro of the Warhol crew, a history of jazz and more: event for the celebrated annual festival happened April 30 at the Alki Room, Seattle Center, Seattle, Washington.

By Gillian G. Gaar

Telstar, Nick Moran's documentary about maverick British producer Joe Meek, Little Joe, a look at the life and times of Warhol screen legend Joe Dallesandro, and Icons Among Us, a history of jazz as told through the interviews of 75 jazz artists, are just some of the films that will have their premieres at the 35^th Seattle International Film Festival, which runs May 21-June 14 in Seattle (North American premieres for Telstar and Little Joe, World Premiere for Icons). Sub Pop act No Age will also debut an original score for a screening of the French film The Bear, which will play June 12 at Seattle club the Triple Door.

The preliminary lineup was announced at SIFF's press launch, held at what will be their future home on the Seattle Center grounds. After last year's "dry" press launch, this year media types (chiefly local media - Seattle Times, Seattle Metropolitan, Seattle Gay News, etc.), were given a nice spread, courtesy of Suess Chocolates, featuring a wide array of pastries and all the mimosas you could quaff (Blurt's favorite morning beverage). Blurt spoke with both Artistic Director Carl Spence and Programming Manager Beth Barrett who noted that this year's SIFF is one of their biggest (268 features and 124 shorts), thus continuing to hold down SIFF's rep as the largest film fest in North America (it's also the second highest attended fest in North America, with Toronto's fest coming in first). Spence said there was an effort to schedule more comedies this year to help alleviate the stresses of our troubled times, and both pointed out the strength of this year's offerings by Northwest filmmakers, including not only Icons, but also Trimpin: The Sound of Invention a doc about the artist/inventor/engineer/composer whose massive guitar sculpture hangs in Seattle's Experience Music Project rock museum, It Takes A Cult, about "The Love Family" commune, World's Greatest Dad, directed by comedian Bob Goldthwait and starring Robin Williams, and ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction.

Nine films are part of SIFF's "Face The Music" series, including not only Icons, Trimpin, Telstar, and The Bear presentation, but also documentaries on Bruce Springsteen, Youssou Ndour, the All Tomorrow's Parties festival, Favela on Blast, about Rio's Balle Funk music scene, and Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary, which centers on the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Another music-related film not part of Face The Music series is Every Little Step, a documentary about the revival of the musical A Chorus Line.

SIFF has long described itself as a populist film fest, with films for virtually every taste. While some films are currently slated for theatrical release (such as Facing Ali, an homage to the boxing legend), there are others that have yet to secure widespread distribution (the cult hit Morris: A Life With Bells On, a faux documentary about Morris dancing). Along with the Face the Music series, other series highlight films with gay themes (La Mission; Benjamin Bratt freaks when he learns his son is gay), "eco-themes" (Food, Inc., an expose of our food industry), and the infamous "Midnight Adrenaline" series, offering late night sagas about "dead things and bleeding things" in Barrett's words (Black Dynamite, a modern day blaxploitation flick; the self-explanatory Yes, I Can See Dead People).

The press launch also included a screening of SIFF's opening night film, the British feature In The Loop, a riotous modern day political satire (which seemed even funnier after the consumption of so many mimosas) from the team of the UK TV series The Thick Of It. Opening night is one of three SIFF galas, with screenings followed by elaborate parties featuring much food and drink. The Centerpiece Gala, held June 5, will feature Humpday, about two straight guys who enter an amateur porn contest for the thrill of it; complications ensue (the story is loosely based on the real life amateur porn contest held by Seattle alternative weekly The Stranger). The Closing Night gala will feature OSS 117: Lost In Rio, the long-awaited sequel to OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, a French send-up of James Bond spy capers with agent OSS 117 tracking down Nazis in Rio in between gallivanting with lovelies in mini skirts.

Among the guests who are set to make SIFF appearances this year are Spike Lee, who will receive the 2009 Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing in a special tribute program May 23 at Seattle's "World Famous" Egyptian Theatre that will include an on-stage interview with Lee and a screening of his latest film, Passing Strange, based on the Broadway musical of the same name. Francis Ford Coppola will arrive June 10 with his latest film, Tetro, and its star, Vincent Gallo, in tow.

SIFF's complete schedule will be available Thursday, May 7, with ticket sales for the general public beginning May 8. Info: www.siff.net .

Previously unheard solo recordings will be aired.

By Blurt Staff

Expect the May 19 birthday celebration for what would have been Joey Ramone's 58^th year to be a total bash with a show headlined by Fishbone and Supersuckers and what we're guessing will be wall-to-wall celeb partygoers (You know Eddie Vedder was a close friend of Joey's, right?). It'll be held at the Fillmore NYC at Irving Plaza.

But despite all the outside star power, our bet is Joey will steal the ninth annual show. Mickey Leigh, Joey's brother and the event producer, has announced fans will be treated to a special advance sneak peek listen to rough mixes of never- before-heard Joey Ramone solo recordings.  Various producers, including long-time Ramones producer Ed Stasium, are currently preparing tracks for a full album worth of material, slated for posthumous release at the end of the year.

The party will conclude with The Friends Of Joey featuring Richie Ramone, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Jean Beauvoir, Ivan Julian, George Tabb, Al Maddy and Mickey Leigh.  Also appearing are Death and Rough Francis, Uncle Monk (featuring Tommy Ramone), Bebe Buell, and Tom Clark & The High Action Boys.  

As the audience enters the venue they will once again be greeted by musician Tracy Thornton, playing Ramones songs on the steel drum.  And, in what has become a Birthday Bash tradition, Sean O'Sullivan's Punk Pipers will round out the night on the bagpipes. 

Joey died April 2001 after a seven-year battle with Lymphoma, had a history of encouraging up-and-coming bands in New York's downtown music scene by showcasing them at his special "Joey Ramone Presents..." events.  His brother and their mother Charlotte Lesher carried on the tradition "by featuring bands that make great music and getting together some of Joey's friends to celebrate him on what would otherwise be a sad, somber day," Leigh said in a press statement.

Tickets are available in advance at the Fillmore box office for$25 ($30 day of show) or through http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/404523.  The Fillmore is located at 17 Irving Place, corner 15^th Street, NYC.  Doors open at 7PM.

Net proceeds from the Bash go to support the Joey Ramone Foundation for Lymphoma Research.

Want more news? Go to www.joeyRamone.com

Clip for Porcupine's "7^th Wheel" only at your friendly neighborhood BLURT.

By Blurt Staff

It's another BLURT video exclusive: Tim Easton's new video for "7th Wheel" - it comes from his latest album Porcupine released last week by New West Records, and directed by Alex Gorosh.

Check out Easton as he re-creates the album cover painting on the side of a building in Joshua Tree, Calif. - get your first look at the clip in our video kiosk, or you can go straight in HERE.

In our recent review of the album, we noted how "it's a versatile artist who feels he's no longer confined to any one particular style and subsequently allows himself to infuse more disparate elements into his sound.  So give credit to Tim Easton with breaking the Americana mold on this, his fifth album, and expanding his parameters into realms of Blues, R&B and other traditional templates."

For Porcupine, Tim went back to Alex The Great and Club Roar studios in Nashville to work with Brad Jones and Robin Eaton who produced his debut album, Special 20.   He wanted to "make some noise and get that jagged, midwestern rock and roll sound again" so he hand-picked the Ohio-based rhythm section - Sam Brown on drums (Gaunt, New Bomb Turks, RJD2) and Matt Surgeson on bass and backing vocals (Matt also played on Special 20). Renowned guitarist Kenny Vaughn, who Tim met playing in Lucinda Williams' band for her Car Wheels tour, played second guitar.

Porcupine visits the rough edged and electric side of Tim's recordings, although it's an acoustic track that provides the record's shiniest moment in the pop-folk jangle of "Seventh Wheel."  Tim wrote the song in as much time as it takes to sing it while staying at friend's house in Dublin, and the band demanded that he record it for the album after hearing the demo he made in Ireland.   As for the title Porcupine, Tim explains "I thought the physical animal called the porcupine was a perfect symbol for the sound of this record in that it appears to be a gentle and harmless creature from a distance but up close it is in fact sharp and potentially dangerous." 

Easton is currently on the road with his touring band - Brown on drums, Alex Livingstone on bass - and will be joined by Aaron Lee Tasjan of The New York Dolls in New York City (5/6 @ Mercury Lounge) and Philadelphia (5/7 @ Johnny Brendas).

Tour Dates:

Tuesday 5/5/09 Arlington, VA IOTA Club and Café  
Wednesday 5/6/09 New York, NY The Mercury Lounge 8pm 
Thursday 5/7/09 Philadelphia, PA  Johnny Brendas 
Saturday 5/9/09 New London, CT The Oasis  Pub 
Monday 5/11/09 Winston-Salem, NC The Garage  
Tuesday 5/12/09 Raleigh, NC Berkeley Café 
Wednesday 5/13/09 Atlanta, GA The Earl  
Wednesday, 5/14/09 Athens, GA The 40 Watt
Friday 5/15/09 Auburn, AL The Strutting Duck
Saturday 5/16/09 Orlando, FL Orange You Glad Fest at Will's Pub
Sunday 5/17/09 Tampa, FL New World Brewery
Thursday 5/21/09 Jacksonville, FL European St Café
Friday 5/29/09 Denver, CO Walnut Room  
Saturday 5/30/09 Salt Lake City, UT Benefit for UtahFM.org @ The State Room
Wednesday 6/3/09 Boise, ID Alive After Five
Thursday 6/4/09 Reno, NV Tim Wainer House Concert
Friday 6/5/09 Los Angeles, CA The Mint

[Photo Credit: Paul Moore]

Tour dates announced

By Blurt Staff

We told you about The Coathangers' sophomore release Scramble and gave you a peek at the band's video "Stomp Stomp Stompin"

Still want more? Here's where to check them out live:

May 11 - Atlanta GA -  The Eyedrum W/ Calvin Johnson

June 9 - Atlanta GA -  The Drunken Unicorn*^

June 10 - Greensboro NC -  Square 1*^

June 11 - Richmond VA -  Tba

June 12 - Baltimore MD -  Sonar*^

June 13 - Brooklyn NY -  The Market Hotel*^

June 14 - Brooklyn NY -  Glasslands Gallery W/ K-Holes

June 15 - Providence RI -  AS220 W/ White Mice

June 16 - Rochester NY -  The Bug Jar

June 17 - Montreal QC -  La Sala Rossa*

June 18 - Toronto ON -  Nxne -  Chunklet Showcase

June 19 - Toronto ON -  Nxne -  Panache Showcase -  Sneaky Dee's

June 20 - Chicago IL -  Ronny's W/ The Regrets

June 21 - Madison WI -  Brink Lounge

June 22 - St. Paul MN -  Big V's

June 23 - Winnipeg MB -  The Pyramid Cabaret

June 25 - Calgary AB -  Sled Island Festival

June 27 - Seattle WA -  Comet Tavern W/ These Arms Are Snakes

June 28 - Vancouver BC -  Tba

June 30 - Portland OR -  East End Tavern

July 2 - San Francisco CA -  Hemlock Tavern^

July 3 - San Jose CA -  Nickel City^

July 5 - Los Angeles CA -  The Smell

July 6 - San Diego CA -  The Casbah^

July 7 - Tucson AZ -  Plush^

July 9 - Lubbock TX -  Bash Riprock's^

July 10 - Dallas TX -  The Lounge On Elm Street^

July 11 - Austin TX -  Mohawk

July 12 - Houston TX -  Mango's

July 13 - New Orleans LA -  Saturn Bar

*With Mika Miko

^With The Strange Boys

The Wilco soap opera, revisited this time for the courtroom.

By Fred Mills

We'd barely finished posting out story about the new live Wilco DVD when word arrived of some rather unpleasant Wilco related news: yesterday in Illinois' Cook County Circuit Court, erstwhile Wilco member Jay Bennett filed a suit against bandleader Jeff Tweedy claiming he's owed "compensation for his services rendered in the form of continuing and perpetual artist royalty payments."

In a report filed by the Chicago Tribune Bennett is suing Tweedy because, while he did get paid during his 1994-2001 tenure with the band, it was only "infrequent partial payments" amounting to far less than he was actually owed - including compensation for appearing in the 2002 Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. Bennett is asking for damages of $50,000.

As Pitchfork further points out, there's no love lost between Bennett and Tweedy, as the aforementioned film, which was about the making of the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, didn't portray Bennett in a very favorable light. The pair had a huge falling out and Bennett received the boot from Tweedy in August of 2001 (although to this date there continues to be commentary along the lines of "You're fired!/No, I quit first!" whenever the topic is revisited).

New album coming, tour dates announced.

By Blurt Staff

Matisyahu is keeping busy these days. Not only was he recently in a video with The Crystal Method but now he's off on his own summer tour. Watch for his new album Light to be released sometime this summer

Check out the tour dates below:

May 30* - Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Amphitheater

May 31* - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues-Orlando

June

June 1* - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing

June 2* - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle

June 4* - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall

June 5 - Ozark, AR - Wakarusa Festival

June 7* - Dallas, TX - The Palladium

June 8* - Houston, TX - House of Blues

June 9* - Austin, TX - Austin Music Hall

June 11+ - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre

June 13-14 - Santa Rosa, CA - Harmony Music Festival

June 16+ - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern

June 18+ - Ventura, CA - Ventura Theatre

June 20+ - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

June 21+ - San Luis Obispo, CA - Pozo Saloon

June 23+ - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom

June 24+ - Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre

June 25+ - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory

June 27 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue

June 29 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up

July

July 1 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

July 2 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest

July 3 - Des Moines, IA - 80-35 Festival

July 5 - Rothbury, MI - Rothbury Festival

July 7† - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion

July 8† - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory

July 9† - New York, NY - Central Park SummerStage

July 11 - Ottawa, ON - Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest

July 12 - Quebec City - QC Festival d'été de Québec

July 19 - Denver, CO - Mile High Music Festival 

*-co-headline with Les Claypool
+ -with very special guest K'naan
†- co-headline with Umphrey's McGee

Find out more at matisyahu

Apologies for that headline, we think an intern wrote it...

By Fred Mills

We don't have to tell you that the world of print media is pretty fucked right now (which is why BLURT, after almost a year of publishing digitally, decided to re-enter the print world a month or so ago - we're pretty fucked in our collective head, so the fit is good). Although in the case of some publications such as Relix, about to go under but then getting an 11-th hour reprieve this week, are still hanging in there, others, such as Blender, which recently flamed out in a grand explosion of hubris and bad finances, are now dead. Ex-publications. Pushing up daisies. Singing with the choir invisible.

Today's canary-in-the-coalmine moment arrives courtesy of venerable satire rag The Onion, who released a statement this morning indicating it was discontinuing publication of its San Francisco and Los Angeles editions. Citing nosediving ad revenue, the Chicago-based company announced that this week's editions would be the last in both cities.

According to The Onion, "In both Los Angeles and San Francisco readership has actually risen despite our reduction in copies in recent months [but] the advertising in both cities has been abysmal. This stands in stark contrast to other parts of our business--both the majority of our print markets (Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Denver, Boulder, for example) as well as our rapidly growing digital enterprises (theonion.com, avclub.com, the Onion News Network and Decider.com--which are growing nicely and in some cases dramatically.... We have no plans at this time to cease publication in any of our other markets."

The latter comment may be true, but it's actually hard to imagine how the cited markets could prove stronger than population/media centers like San Fran and L.A., so to all the readers in those markets - don't hold your breath.

Of course, anyone who keeps up with The Onion lately knows that they've really been hitting their stride in the visual medium. As good as the written jollies can be, some of the content on ONN (the Onion News Network) ranks alongside the FunnyOrDie.com website's videos as among the funniest on the web - like THIS report on the new Star Trek movie (hint: watch for the vintage Kirk-alien clip). So we trust that in one form or another, the folks there will continue to thrive.

Includes Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (pictured) headlining Central Park SummerStage July 11; Los Amigos Invisibles/Aterciopelados at Prospect Park Bandshell July 10; Juana Molina/Curumin/Zizek at SummerStage July 8.

By Blurt Staff

Doing a slew of radio sessions too, all in support of new album Townes.

By Blurt Staff

Entire album getting an online preview NOW, so don't hesitate.

By Fred Mills

Danger Horse? Sparklemouse? However you want to describe the Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse collaboration Dark Was the Night, based on the aural evidence we're listening to RIGHT NOW, the album, due this summer is pretty ace.

You can make your own decision by going HERE to the ChrysalisMusicBlog. Once there, just click on the Dark Night of the Soul folder icon in the "Box".

As we are advised: Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) + Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) + Flaming Lips + Gruff Rhys + Iggy Pop + Suzanne Vega + Black Francis + Vic Chesnutt + Julian Casablancas + Jason Lytle + Nina Persson + James Mercer x DAVID LYNCH = Dark Night of the Soul.

Stay tuned for details on an official release date. Earlier this year, Linkous told Pitchfork he had high hopes for the project, and that he and Danger Mouse had created the backing tracks for all the guest singers, singling out the Lips track "Revenge" as being "fucking awesome." Listen closely to the tracks and see if you can figure out who's singing what; we are especially digging the Black Francis track.

They've also set up a YouTube channel to post videos, one so far: http://www.youtube.com/user/dnotsoul

And yes folks, you can still help out with the medical bills by making a donation.

By Blurt Staff

Master of ceremonies T Bone Burnett invited comic Eric Idle, singer Katie Melua and folk rock legend Richard Thompson, among other surprise guests, to the stage on Sunday night at McCabe's in Santa Monica.  The occasion was the final night in a series of three sold-out shows benefiting Peter Case, the singer-songwriter-producer whose emergency open-heart surgery left him sidelined in January. Burnett's Sunday night revue also featured Joe Henry, Sam Phillips, Syd Straw, Bob Neuwirth, Carla Olson, Geoff Muldaur, and Case's former bandmates, the Plimsouls, as well as Case himself who performed "A Million Miles Away" accompanied by the Section String Quartet and "Oldest Story in the World" with the Plimsouls.

Other weekend highlights included Friday's headline appearance by Loudon Wainwright III; he coaxed Case onstage to perform his signature arrangement of Blind Willie McTell's "Broke Down Engine Blues." Van Dyke Parks invited singer Inara George to join him, while Phranc, the All American Jewish Lesbian Folksinger, dedicated her song "I Like You" to Case, and turned her sing-a-long anthem "Live Lover" into "I'm a Peter Case Lover," especially for the occasion.

Saturday night's show was a gathering of old friends: Dave Alvin performed Case's "On My Way Downtown" while telling stories of the days before he and Case graduated from their bands the Blasters and Plimsouls to become the award-winning and esteemed songwriters they are today. Case pals Stan Ridgway, Ron Franklin and performance artist the Dark Bob turned in startlingly different and sublime sets of their own.

"I'm feeling great and am amazed and humbled by the extraordinary turnout," said Case on Monday morning. 

In 1984, Case made his debut as a solo artist at McCabe's; in February he was set to celebrate 25 years of performing there.  But just as he was preparing to leave for a European tour in January, he was hospitalized.  It was following an attempt at angioplasty that he received emergency bypass surgery. As one of the nearly 47 million Americans who remain uninsured, Case's incoming hospital bills and aftercare costs remained unresolved.  However, all proceeds from the Hidden Love Benefit Concerts will contribute tremendously toward reducing those costs.  In addition to the concert, Peter's friends, fans and fellow artists have established the Hidden Love Fund to help further alleviate the burden of his medical expenses. 

For more information or to make a donation to the fund please visit http://www.hiddenlovemedicalrelief.com/

Further information on Case's 25th Anniversary Show at McCabe's will be announced soon.

Album en route and U.S. tour starts today.

By Blurt Staff

Maryland's Clutch are putting the finishing touches on their ninth studio album, titled Strange Cousins From the West. Produced by Clutch and J. Robbins at Magpie Cage Studios in Baltimore, the effort is the first Clutch original to be released on the band's own Weathermaker Music, through RED Distribution. It will drop on July 7.

Also of note is the Poppo's Blues Band cover song "Algo Ha Cambiado," which vocalist Neil Fallon sings in Spanish. (Poppo was a legendary Argentinian hard rock singer/guitarist throughout the 70's and 80's.) The title Strange Cousins From the West was taken from a line in the song "Minotaur."

Although the band has toured the world extensively over the past 2 years, and released multiple Clutch oriented projects, Strange Cousins... is the band's first original studio work since March of 2007's "From Beale Street to Oblivion" which featured the hit "Electric Worry."

Track Listing:

Motherless Child
Struck Down
50,000 Unstoppable Watts
Abraham Lincoln
Minotaur
The Amazing Kreskin
Witchdoctor
Let a Poor Man Be
Freakonomics
Algo Ha Cambiado
Sleestak Lightning

Tour Dates:

w/ Wino and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster

May 6 2009 Lost Horizon Syracuse, New York
May 7 2009 The Cellar Struthers, Ohio
May 8 2009 Headliner's Toledo, Ohio
May 9 2009 Otto's Nightclub DeKalb, Illinois
May 10 2009 Riverside Ballroom Green Bay, Wisconsin
May 12 2009 Canaries Stadium KRRO Fest Sioux Falls, South Dakota with Slipknot and Korn * Clutch only
May 13 2009 People's Court Des Moines, Iowa
May 14 2009 The Cotillion Wichita, Kansas
May 15 2009 The Blue Note Columbia, Missouri
May 16 2009 Jake's Nightclub Bloomington, Indiana
May 17 2009 Columbus Crew Stadium "Rock on the Range" Festival Columbus, Ohio
May 19 2009 The Music Farm Charleston, South Carolina
May 20 2009 Cat's Cradle Carrboro, North Carolina
May 21 2009 The Norva Norfolk, Virginia
May 22 2009 The Note West Chester, Pennsylvania
May 23 2009 The Bakerton Group @ 930 Club Washington, DC, Washington DC

UK Tour

Jun 13 2009 Corporation Sheffield
Jun 14 2009 Download Festival Donington
Jun 15 2009 HMS Hammer Gig Boat to Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards London
Jun 16 2009 Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth
Jun 17 2009 TJ's Newport
Jun 18 2009 Cockpit Leeds
Jun 19 2009 King Tut's Glasgow
Jun 21 2009 De Helling Utrecht
Jun 22 2009 Kulturfabrik Esch-sur-Alzette
Jun 23 2009 Underground Koln
Jun 24 2009 Molotow Hamburg
Jun 25 2009 Knaak Berlin

July 3rd House of Blues Atlantic City, NJ w/ Monster Magnet and Wino

Is the End of Days upon us?

By Blurt Staff

According to the Bible, the seven signs of the Apocalypse include war, famine, disease, hatred, crime and earthquakes, but BLURT's crack team of Biblical historians have uncovered the long lost eighth sign that Judgement Day may be near:

Patterson Hood is lecturing today at Princeton University.

The always-affable frontman of the Drive-By Truckers is meeting with American Studies students to kick off "Radio Free Dixie (Or, De Dirty South Broke-down): A Symposium on New South Sounds & Culture," a free two-day event that formally begins this Friday, May 8, which will attempt to examine the influence of rock musicians, artists, scholars, politicians, spiritual figures and critics that emerged from the Southeast region of the United States during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

We here at BLURT always enjoy any opportunity to shoot the bull with Hood. Our most recent chat with the long-time Athens, GA resident focused on Murdering Oscar (and other love songs), his new solo release due out June 23. Keep your eyes peeled for an extensive feature in our upcoming print edition hitting newsstands in June.

In the course of the interview, Hood shed some light on the upcoming Truckers album as well as a compilation of unreleased material being issued by New West Records this fall.

"I'm really excited about the next Truckers record," Hood reports. "We're off to a pretty booming start. We've cut 17 songs already and will work for the rest of this month on wrapping it up. I think we have enough for an album and maybe an EP, too. A lot of it depends on what Cooley comes in with for this next session."

According to Hood, DBT bassist Shonna Tucker has stepped up her contributions as well in recent sessions.

"Shonna's got tons of songs," he says. "We've already cut three of hers, and I know for sure we're cutting at least one more. I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up cutting a couple more. Her new stuff is just a huge leap from the last record (Brighter Than Creation's Dark), and I love what she did on that one. So it's going real good."

Though no release date has been set for the new Truckers album, Hood did reveal that Truckers fans won't go hungry this year. According to Hood, New West Records has plundered the vaults and is planning to release later this year a compilation of B-sides and cutting-room floor gems from the band's four-album tenure on the label.

"They pretty much went through the vaults and found everything that didn't get released and asked us how we'd feel about us putting that out," Hood explains. "After my initial growling and grumbling, I went back and listened, and it was pretty cool. The majority of it comes from The Dirty South sessions. We had so many songs, that album could have very easily been a double LP.  Most of it is originals, but there are also a couple of covers. We did a great version of "Play It All Night Long" by Warren Zevon just for the hell of it one day in the studio. There's also a Tom T. Hall song on there that we recorded for a tribute record that never came out. It turned out to be a pretty cohesive record. I'm excited about it."

Hmmmm....a Tom T. Hall song, huh?

Might it be "Mama Bake a Pie (Daddy Kill a Chicken)" which Hood has often covered in solo shows dating back to 2004?

Could be, but we ain't telling!

Get fresh Iggy Pop now

By Nancy Dunham

Ah, there's more going on with Iggy Pop than the advertising brouhaha we told you about here.

Time to check out some new Iggy material from his upcoming album Préliminaires, set to be released next month.

New Orleans jazz style song "King of the Dogs" is now available digitally on Stereogum

If you're in LA Friday, you might also be able to check out Iggy when he performs at the fifth annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert honoring Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis. The concert will be at club Nokia. Find details here.

Oh, and he's also on that new Dangermouse + Sparklehorse album coming out later this summer, which we told you about here....

Rockers' band vandalized; items stolen

By Nancy Dunham

Come on; give the musicians a break.

Everybody knows that life is rough enough on the road without walking out and seeing your ride was vandalized and gear stolen. Or worse. Remember we told you The Deers' tour bus was stolen? Check out the details here.

Now we have Gliss that had finished a gig in Philly and settled in for some rest at a Newark, N.J. hotel. Little did they know some creep was outside vandalizing the van and helping themselves to goodies inside.

Among the items stolen was a 1979 Fender Precision bass that frontman Martin Klingman received from his grandfather as a child. The band, currently in the midst of their "Stimulus Package Tour," are keeping the show on the road and not cancelling dates. Still, this hurts.

"It's always a cryin' shame when you walk up to your van or car and find out that some lost, sad person has broken in and taken the sweetness from your life," said Klingman. "My grandfather gave me a 1970's Fender P-Bass years ago when I was a wee lad. I don't care about the money... the sentimental value of the bass that was stolen last night will never be replaced."

This blows. Seriously.

Help these guys out. If you have information contact the band at glissgear-gmail.com

The Bass serial # is either S899012 or S899013.

And please, support their shows listed below:

GLISS ON TOUR

May 6 - Brooklyn, N.Y. - Union Hall*

May 8 - Plymouth, Pa. - Infamous Art Gallery*

May 9 - Danbury, Conn. - Heirloom Arts Theater*

May 11 - New York, N.Y. - Piano's

May 12 - Washington, D.C. - DC9

May 13 - Raleigh, N.C. - Pour House Music Hall

May 15 - Norfolk, Va. - The Boot

May 25 - St. Louis, Mo. - The Firebird **

May 27 - San Antonio, Texas - Rock Bottom **

May 28 - Austin, Texas - Emo's **

May 30 - Dallas, Texas - Sue Ellen's Vixen Lounge **

June 2 - El Paso, Texas - Bombardiers **

June 3 - Tucson, Ariz. - Plush **

June 5 - Los Angeles, Calif. - The Roxy **

June 6 - San Francisco, Calif. - Slim's **

June 8 - Kennewick, Wash. - The Red Room **

June 9 - Portland, Ore. - Doug Fir Lounge **

June 10 - Seattle, Wash. - Studio Seven **

June 12 - Sacramento, Calif. - The Kennel Club

* with Takeover UK

** with Von Iva

Prepping for U.S. tour as well.

By Blurt Staff

DJ Z-Trip will be manning the turntables during KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" this Morning (Thursday, May 7) - go to KCRW Live) This will be a lead in to his show Saturday night at Audiotistic in San Bernadino. The Roots will headline immediately following his set. From there he'll be doing selected dates well into the summer; see the current itinerary, below.

Z-Trip is well known among clubgoers and turntablist headz: his mixtapes and DJ sessions have made him an in-demand personality, but those genuinely in the know have also clued in to his affinity for rock ‘n' roll and finding the intersections between rock and hiphop.  Most recently, his congratulatory mix inspired by Obama's win has already been downloaded half a million times and is still available here: Victory Lap

Tour Dates:

             
                    May 9          San Bernardino, Calif.    Audiotistic - NOS Events Center
                    May 17        Toronto, CAN                 The Guvernment
                    May 24        Detroit, Mich.                  Detroit Electronic Music Festival
                    May 30        Denver, Colo.                  Bisco Inferno - Red Rocks
                    June 6          Kansas City, Kan.            Power And Light District
                    June 12        Chicago, Ill.                     House Of Blues
                    June 25        Louisville, Ky.                 Fourth Street Live
                    June 26        Cleveland, Ohio               House Of Blues
                    June 27        Columbus, Ohio               Lifestyle Pavillion
                    July 3           Edmonton, CAN              Starlite Room
                    July 4           Calgary, CAN                  Flames Central

Songs included on a freebie 45 nobody knew about.

By Fred Mills

Word's just in from Pitchfork that a pair of new Beastie Boys tracks, "Lee Majors Come Again" and "B Boys in the Cut," recently slipped out the old fashioned way: not by an Internet leak, but on a 7-inch 45.

Pitchfork was tipped to this by Beasties-centric site Mic To Mic, which is currently streaming the tunes. Apparently, inserted in random copies of the recent Check Your Head deluxe vinyl reissue was a bonus single featuring the two songs. "Lee Majors Come Again" is described as "rap over hardcore instrumentation," while "B Boys in the Cut" is an a cappella number that Mic To Mic says will be familiar to fans who've heard the Beasties' "My New Name is Larry" routine.

Check ‘em both out at the Mic to Mic site.

You know you wanna even if you won't admit to your friends that you do...

By Blurt Staff

It's always a great day when we can stare at cheesecake photos of Lita Ford, which makes today a particularly great day because we found two of ‘em on the web. Even better, the metal mistress has just announced her first studio album in 18 years - Wicked Wonderland is to be released this fall on Ford's own JLRG Entertainment label.

Ford basically quit the music biz for the past 15 years to raise a family and live on an album in the Caribbean, but as she put it in a press release, "I missed rock ‘n' roll." To that end, Ford will be playing festivals and motorcycle rallies in the US and Europe this summer leading up to the release of the album. She dipped her toes back in the water last summer at the Rocklahoma and Rock the Bayou festivals.

"It's harder and sexier than anything I've ever done," she said, of the record, which was co-produced by Ford, her husband and former Nitro singer Jim Gillette, and Greg Hampton, the songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer known for his work with Alice Cooper, his band Science Faxtion (with Bootsy Collins and Buckethead and Brain from Guns N'Roses) and other rock notables. Ford is backed on the record by drummer Stet Howland, formerly of W.A.S.P., Hampton on bass, rhythm guitar and keyboards, Gillette on background vocals, and its vivid cover art is by Rob Zombie bassist and solo artist Piggy D.

One song, "Betrayal," will be featured in the upcoming video game "Brütal Legend," in which Lita also voices one of the characters alongside Jack Black, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and Rob Halford of Judas Priest.

Okay, fire up all those old VH1 Classic clips of Lita on YouTube, kids....

Veterans BB King and Buddy Guy joined by a host of familiar faces as well as some surprises.

By Fred Mills

Last night in Memphis the annual Blues Music Awards were held, and among the notable winners were Buddy Guy, Janiva Magness, Irma Thomas, BB King and the late Jeff Healey. Several of them, including Guy, Magness and King, walked away with multiple awards at the bash.

The six-hour event featured 46 performers, and the show, in addition to being broadcast on Sirius XM, was taped for a proposed DVD release later this year.

BLURT correspondent Rev. Keith A. Gordon had been tracking the awards and noted that the "lengthy ceremony... saw the best that the blues has to offer recognized with awards for excellence in 26 categories," singling out Guy and King, of course, along with blues pianist Eden Brent for praise at his About.com: Blues blog.

You can read more of what the good Rev. had to say at his blog. Tell him we sent ya!

List of Winners:

Acoustic Album of the Year

Mississippi Number One - Eden Brent

Acoustic Artist of the Year

Eden Brent

Traditional Blues Album of the Year

One Kind Favor - B.B. King

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year

B.B. King

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year

Koko Taylor

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

Skin Deep - Buddy Guy

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year

Buddy Guy

Album of the Year

Skin Deep - Buddy Guy

Band of the Year

Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials (4)

Best New Artist Debut

2 Man Wrecking Crew - Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm (2)

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year

Janiva Magness

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year

Janiva Magness

Rock Blues Album of the Year

Mess of Blues - Jeff Healey

Song of the Year

 "Let Life Flow"  - Kenny Neal

Soul Blues Album of the Year

Simply Grand - Irma Thomas

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year

Etta James

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year

Bobby Rush

Historical Album of the Year

Albert Collins Live At Montreux 1992 - Eagle Records

DVD

M For Mississippi: A Road Trip Through The Birthplace of the Blues - Broke & Hungry Records, Cathead Blues & Mudpuppy Recordings (3)

Instrumentalist-Bass

Mookie Brill

Instrumentalist-Drums

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Instrumentalist-Guitar

Sonny Landreth

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

Billy Gibson

Instrumentalist-Horn

Deanna Bogart

Instrumentalist-Banjo

Otis Taylor 

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

Marcia Ball

Bon Jovi can't screw this one up...

By Blurt Staff

Soul powerhouse Bettye LaVette is set to drop A CHANGE IS GONNA COME SESSIONS, a digital-only EP for Anti- Records, available exclusively through iTunes starting June 16. It revisits her forgotten post-Atlantic Records years as a nightclub singer, Broadway performer, and touring cast member opposite Cab Calloway in "Bubbling Brown Sugar."

The EP opens with a stirring solo version of Sam Cooke's posthumous Civil Rights anthem "A Change Is Gonna Come," a song which she sang with Jon Bon Jovi in January as part of the "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial" concert. Joining her for these Sessions are pianist and musical director Al Hill, veteran bassist John Heard - who has accompanied such luminaries as Count Basie, Cole Porter, Ella Fitzgerald, and Art Pepper - drummer Danny Frankel (k.d. lang, Lou Reed), and Tom Hagerman from DeVotchKa on strings.

A mix of standards and soul classics from Lavette's 1970s stage and nightclub repertoire rounds out the 6-song set, including songs by Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Bill Withers, and Jimmy Reed. A rendition of Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child" - a song that she first performed with show-stopping magnificence in "Bubbling Brown Sugar" - highlights her vocal mastery. Rather than attack, she approaches these tracks with subtlety - while nonetheless wresting every ounce and every nuance of meaning from the words she sings.

This nod to the past is just the latest step in a nearly five-decade career that has truly come full circle and is now pointed straight ahead: from early promise to a masterwork (Child of the Seventies) shelved by Atlantic Records; from Broadway to obscurity; from a triumphant return with her 2005 Anti- debut I've Got My Own Hell To Raise, to a GRAMMY nomination for The Scene of the Crime; and most recently her devastating performances honoring The Who at the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2008, paired with Jon Bon Jovi at the Lincoln Memorial for President Obama's inaugural celebration in January, and alongside Sir Paul McCartney at a Radio City Music Hall benefit for the David Lynch Foundation in April.

The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl raved about LaVette's performance at the Kennedy Center Honors on Air America radio, saying, "Bettye LaVette...She is gonna steal the show. She was so phenomenal, this performance of The Who song that she did. It will bring you to tears. The room was pin-drop silent when she did this song, and it was just unbelievable."

The Who's own Pete Townshend concurred in a Q&A on his blog at TheWho.com: "My favorite moment was when Bettye LaVette sang a very fine version of 'Love Reign O'er Me' at the Gala and Barbra Streisand turned to ask me if I really wrote it."

Meanwhile, her duet of "A Change Is Gonna Come" with Jon Bon Jovi was quite a moment. As she told the Dallas Morning News, "When I got to the line ‘I always believed a change would come,' my eyes fixed on [Obama] and I was kinda stunned. Our eyes locked and he was mouthing the words along."

As Phil Gallo noted in Daily Variety, "Bettye Lavette, who took D.C. by storm last month at the Kennedy Center Honors, was partnered with Jon Bon Jovi on Sam Cooke's ‘A Change Is Gonna Come.' She invested it with anguish, he approached it from a perspective of reasoned logic, giving the [performance] considerable gravitas."

Watch for a review of the LaVette EP at BLURT soon, as well as a review of her recent retrospective release on Sundaze, Do Your Duty.

Tracklisting:

1. "A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke)

2. "'Round Midnight" (Thelonious Monk)

3. "God Bless The Child" (Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog)

4. "Lush Life" (Duke Ellington / Billy Strayhorn)

5. "Ain't No Sunshine" (Bill Withers)

6. "Ain't That Lovin' You" (Jimmy Reed)

But kids... it was ONLY a band, not a movement...

By Blurt Staff

While hairy-palmed fanboys anxiously await that Stone Roses reunion that ain't never gonna happen, Legacy kindly steps into the gap on August 11 with a 20^th anniversary edition of the band's classic self-titled 1989 debut. It'll have all sort of bonus swag, depending on which of the formats you spring for.

It gets kinda confusing, so here's the scoop, direct from the label, and pay attention:

Marking the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of the legendary self-titled debut album by The Stone Roses, Legacy Recordings will reissue this highly-revered set in three distinct formats.  The NME has declared The Stone Roses  to be "The Greatest Album of All Time," and it's hard to argue with that proclamation when considering its string of timeless singles:  "I Wanna Be Adored," "She Bangs The Drum," "Waterfall," "Made of Stone," "I Am the Resurrection."   Original producer John Leckie has returned to the studio with vocalist Ian Brown to remaster the album for maximum sonic grandeur. 

                The Stone Roses will be released in 3 distinct packages:

1)      Stone Roses: Special Edition (1CD) - Remastered original album with full-length version of "Fool's Gold" and expanded booklet.

2)      Stone Roses: Legacy Edition (2CD + DVD) - Remastered original album plus a second 15-track CD titled "The Lost Demos" which includes the  previously unreleased "Pearl Bastard."  Also included will be the previously unreleased in the U.S. "Live In Blackpool" concert DVD, shot in 1989.  Everything will be packaged in a 28-page booklet which will include input from Ian Brown, Mani, Reni and John Leckie.

3)      Stone Roses: Collectors Edition (3CD + 3LP + DVD + USB + BOOK + 6 ART PRINTS)       

*  A super deluxe 12" album folder with three 180-gram heavyweight vinyl LPs including the original album and 13 b-sides and non-album tracks housed in a gold foil-embossed hardback slipcase.

*  Includes the remastered album, the "Lost Demos" CD, and a third CD of b-sides and non-album singles.

*  A lemon-shaped USB containing all the audio, promo videos, ringtones, wallpapers, plus previously unseen John Leckie home video footage of the recording of "Fool's Gold."

*  A 48-page book overflowing with unseen photos and brand-new notes from the band, producer John Leckie, those involved 20 years ago, and high-profile fans such as Tim Burgess, Noel Gallagher, Bobby Gillespie and Mark Ronson sharing experiences about the album.

                *  Six 6x12" individual art prints painted by John Squire.

CD 1

The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses - 20th Anniversary Re-Master

 1.      I Wanna Be Adored, 4:52

2.      She Bangs The Drums, 3:42

3.      Waterfall, 4:38

4.      Don't Stop, 5:17

5.      Bye Bye Bad Man, 4:00

6.      Elizabeth My Dear, 0:59

7.      (Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister, 3:25

8.      Made Of Stone, 4:11

9.      Shoot You Down, 4:10

10.     This Is The One, 4:59

11.     I Am The Resurrection, 8:12

CD 2

The Stone Roses: The B-Sides & Non Album Singles  - 20th Anniversary Re-Master

 1.      Elephant Stone

2.      Full Fathom Five

3.      The Hardest Thing

4.      Going Down

5.      Guernica

6.      Mersey Paradise

7.      Standing Here

8.      Simone

9.      Fools Gold 9.53

10.     What The World Is Waiting For

11.     One Love (Full Length)

12.     Something's Burning (Full Length)

13.     Where Angels Play

CD 3

The Stone Roses: The Demos  - 20th Anniversary Re-Master

1.      I Wanna Be Adored (no ending but can be faded)  3.45

2.      She Bangs the Drums : 3.46

3.      Waterfall  :  4.45

4.      Bye Bye Badman :  4.20

5.      Sugar Spun Sister: 3.30

6.      Shoot You Down (1 version) : 4.20

7.      This Is The One : 4.00

8.      I Am Resurrection:  6.44

9.      Elephant Stone: 3.10

10.     Going Down : 2.40

11.     Mersey Paradise :  2.49

12.     Where Angels Play : 3.06

13.     Something's Burning  :  3.00

14.     One Love : TBC

15.     Pearl Bastard : 3.45

Vinyl 1

The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses - 20th Anniversary Re-Master

1.      I Wanna Be Adored, 4:52

2.      She Bangs The Drums, 3:42

3.      Waterfall, 4:38

4.      Don't Stop, 5:17

5.      Bye Bye Bad Man, 4:00

6.      Elizabeth My Dear, 0:59

7.      (Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister, 3:25

8.      Made Of Stone, 4:11

9.      Shoot You Down, 4:10

10.     This Is The One, 4:59

11.     I Am The Resurrection, 8:12

Vinyl 2 & 3

The Stone Roses: The B-Sides & Non Album Singles  - 20th Anniversary Re-Master

A

1.      Elephant Stone

2.      Full Fathom Five

3.      The Hardest Thing

4.      Going Down

B

5.      Guernica

6.      Mersey Paradise

7.      Standing Here

8.      Simone

A

9.      Fools Gold 9.53

10.     What The World Is Waiting For

B

11.     One Love (Full Length)

12.     Something's Burning (Full Length)

13.     Where Angels Play

USB/DIGITAL

The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses - 20th Anniversary Re-Master

The Stone Roses: The B-Sides & Non Album Singles  - 20th Anniversary Re-Master

The Stone Roses: The Demos  - 20th Anniversary Re-Master

Album due June 2.

By Nancy Dunham

Check out the single "Dylan's Hard Rain" from Ryan Bingham's soon-to-be-released album Roadhouse Sun.

Sounds like the guy whose debut album Mescalito won all kinds of kudos is set for more of the same this time out.

Find out more at Bingham Music, and watch for a Blurt review of the album soon.

Flaming Lips' take requests - really

By Nancy Dunham

Wayne Coyne is sending some love right back to the fans now that the Oklahoma fiasco we told you about is a memory.

Everyone's jazzed about The Flaming Lips closing out the 2009 Pitchfork Festival on July 19. Now we have word it'll be even better than you thought.

All Pitchfork ticket holders will be sent links via email that will allow them to request the songs the Lips' will play. "They will do their best to accommodate the wildest and most obscure of requests - covers included," the press folks report.

Big fun!

For more information, go to Pitchfork's site.

The gifted guitarist and producer was 60. He was loved by everyone in the Texas music community, and beyond.

By Blurt Staff

Sad news for fans of Texas rock and Americana music in general: Turner Stephen Bruton, 60, died Saturday due to complications of an ongoing battle with throat cancer. The Fort Worth native was in Los Angeles undergoing treatment and completing work on the film Crazy Heart, on which he served as music producer and composer. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall.

Bruton was working on the film with T Bone Burnett up until just a week ago. He was able to see the completion of the project before his death. While in Los Angeles he also played on sessions for an upcoming Kris Kristofferson record, Starlight and Stone.

Accolades came quickly from the musical community. Songwriting legend Guy Clark, speaking to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, called Bruton "truly a giving person. I can't tell you how many times he'd come back from somewhere and just out of the blue, he had brought you a present. It was almost embarrassing." And Bonnie Raitt, a longtime friend (and past employer: Bruton served as her guitarist for a number of years), broke down in tears while onstage Sunday in Austin after performing Bruton's song "Too Many Memories (For One Heart To Hold)." Raitt said to the crowd, "Stephen Bruton is in our hearts tonight and forever."

In a long and distinguished career, Bruton excelled as a musician, songwriter and producer.  He released five records as a solo artist, the last three for the New West label, including 2005's acclaimed From the Five. As an in-demand lead guitar player he worked with legendary artist Kris Kristofferson for 17 years and Raitt for several more. He produced records for Alejandro Escovedo, Marcia Ball, Storyville and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Bruton's songs have been widely covered as well, by artists including Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Martina McBride and Patty Loveless.  He also worked as an actor in the films Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Heaven's Gate, A Star is Born, Songwriter, Miss Congeniality, The Alamo, Sweet Thing and Man Of The House.

The funeral will be in Fort Worth, Texas, with details to be announced.

Bruton doing "Waiting for a Long Time":

Ticket presale starts this Wednesday.

By Blurt Staff

The Dead Weather have confirmed dates for their first ever tour, kicking off in Louisville, Kentucky on June 11th. In case you've been under a rock, the four-piece comprises Dean Fertita (Queens Of The Stone Age),  "Little" Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes), Alison Mosshart (The Kills) and some guy named Jack White (of a couple of other bands).

The band's debut album Horehound, the first record to be recorded and released via White's new Third Man studios and record label in Nashville, TN, will be made available through Third Man/Warner Bros Records on July 14^th. To date, The Dead Weather have released two tracks via iTunes and on limited edition 7" vinyl: "Hang You From The Heavens" and "Are Friends Electric?"

Limited pre-sale tickets will be available starting Wednesday, May 13th at 12 noon EST by visiting thedeadweather.com.  Those fans purchasing pre-sale tickets will also have the opportunity to pre-order the full-length album, Horehound, at a discounted price.  

Tour Dates:

June
6/11        Louisville, KY                        City Block

July
7/13        Washington, DC                  9:30 Club
7/14        Washington, DC                  9:30 Club
7/16        New York, NY                       Terminal 5
7/18        Boston, MA                           House Of Blues
7/19        Ottawa, Canada                   Ottawa Blues Festival (Rogers Stage)
7/21        Montreal, Canada               Olympia De Montreal
7/22        Toronto, Canada                 Kool Haus
7/24        Detroit, MI                            The Fillmore
7/25        Columbus, OH                     The LC Pavillion
7/27        Minneapolis, MN                 First Avenue
7/28        Chicago, IL                           Vic Theatre
7/29        Chicago, IL                           Vic Theatre
7/30        Nashville, TN                        War Memorial Auditorium

August
8/17        Denver, CO                           Ogden Theatre
8/18        Salt Lake City, UT                The Depot
8/20        Seattle, WA                           Paramount Theatre
8/21        Vancouver, Canada            Commodore Ballroom
8/22        Vancouver, Canada            Commodore Ballroom
8/23        Portland, OR                        Roseland Theater
8/25        Los Angeles, CA                  Wiltern Theatre
8/27        Pomona, CA                         Glasshouse
8/29        San Diego, CA                     San Diego Street Scene
8/30        San Francisco, CA              Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

October
10/4        Austin, TX                              Austin City Limits Festival - Zilker Park

From Jon Thor Birgisson and Alex Somers... not sure about that headgear, though.

By Blurt Staff

No, "Riceboy Sleeps" is not the name of some ol' delta bluesman recently exhumed by some dilettante white kid wanting to make a John Lomax-styled name for himself. It's a Sigur Ros side project, and we have the full scoop for you below, as transcribed from the telex that was just slipped over the BLURT transom....

***

Known primarily for his haunting falsetto and other-worldly presence as the singer in Sigur Rós, Jon Thor Birgisson has - together with his partner Alex Somers - been exhibiting artwork and staging exhibitions under the name Riceboy Sleeps for two or three years now, including the release of a limited edition picture book.  A couple of months back the early fruits of the musical side of this collaboration surfaced in physical form for the first time, with the track "Happiness", on the exemplary Dark Was The Night Red Hot compilation.

Now comes the full-length Riceboy Sleeps album. As with "Happiness", it is set to subtly redefine expectations of slow and elegiac instrumental music in 2009.  Riceboy Sleeps is human in a profound and verging-on spiritual way. It says nothing, literally, and yet living through its 68-minutes you emerge feeling much has been revealed.  Its slowly evolving abstract landscapes are both edifying and life-affirming.  The record works as a whole, and exists in a contemplative dream-state, unconstrained and mesmeric, seemingly outside time. 

Played solely on acoustic instruments in Iceland (and featuring long-time string collaborators Amiina, as well as the Kopavogsdaetur choir) and then endlessly toyed with on solar-powered laptops in a raw food commune in some far corner of Hawaii, Riceboy Sleeps has a suitably"organic feel" to it; the wave-like lapping of its tidal flow buried beneath analogue hiss, crackle, pulse and distortion; the creaking of rigging and sometime indeterminate falling delicately over; and, on "Howl", ruminative animal chirrups, grunts, snorts and purrs. Sometimes it feels like a record coming back at you across the seas of time, with ancient Washington Phillips-style tumbling musical figures and stumbling crescendos as slow as a sunrise, or a weightless mantra-like choir singing from somewhere in the Middle Ages down the centuries.

July 21 is the target date, and XL Recordings will be your host.

Track listing:

1. Happiness

2. Atlas Song

3. Indian Summer

4. Stokkseyri

5. Boy 1904

6. All The Big Trees

7. Daníell In The Sea

8. Howl

9. Sleeping Giant

Limited edition 45 due late May.

By Blurt Staff

The Dex Romweber Duo recently met up with Jack White, and the summit yielded a new 7" scheduled to be released in late May on White's newly formed label, Third Man.

Again and again over the years, Jack White has preached the Dex gospel. "Dex Romweber was and is a huge influence on my music. I owned all of his records as a teenager," Jack said. "[He is] one of the best kept secrets of the rock 'n' roll underground." 20 years ago, Dex's band, The Flat Duo Jets, were innovators, paving the way for contemporary guitar/drum duos like The Black Keys and The White Stripes.

The session was a long time coming. In an interview with Metromix, Sara Romweber (drummer, Dex Romweber Duo,) described the scene. "At one point, Dex was in the room with his guitar and Jack was behind the control board. Jack had the biggest smile on his face and he said, "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that guitar tone in my studio."

The session took place at White's home studio in Nashville, TN. The record was produced by Jack White and engineered by Grammy Award winner Vance Powell (The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather).

Track details, along with tour dates (supporting the recent Ruins of Berlin) with the Detroit Cobras, below.

Side A: Last Kind Word Blues by Geeshie Wiley
Dex plays guitar, piano and sings the lead vocal
Jack White plays acoustic guitar, lead guitar and sings a harmony lead vocal
Sara Romweber plays drums

Side B: The Wind Did Move by Dex Romweber
Dex plays guitar, organ and sings the lead vocal
Jack White plays bass sings and plays the saw
Sara played drums and tambourine

Dex Romweber Duo/Detroit Cobras tour 2009:

05.06.09 - Chicago, IL - Double Door    
05.07.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater    
05.09.09 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium
05.10.09 - Des Moines, IA- Vaudeville Mews
05.11.09 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
05.13.09 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
05.14.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
05.16.09 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
05.17.09 - Seattle, WA - Neumo's
05.19.09 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
05.20.09 - West Hollywood, CA - Troubador
05.23.09 - Costa Mesa, CA - The Detroit Bar
05.24.09 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
05.26.09 - Tucson, AZ - Plush
05.27.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
05.29.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's
05.30.09 - Houston, TX - Rudyard's
06.01.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
06.02.09 - Little Rock, AR - Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack
06.03.09 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
06.04.09 - Nashville, TN - The End
06.05.09 - Birmingham, AL - The Bottle Tree
06.06.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
06.08.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
06.09.09 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
06.10.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
06.11.09 - Cambridge, MA - TT the Bear's
06.12.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw
06.13.09 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
06.17.09 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
06.18.09 - Indianapolis, IN - Birdie's
06.19.09 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
06.20.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick

Limited to 1000 copies, the 3LP set shifts units like Roadrunner navigates the highway.

By Fred Mills

This morning the following message appeared on the front page of the Fusetron mailorder site:

***DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND WE HAVE SUSPENDED TAKING ORDERS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. IT WILL TAKE A DAY OR TWO TO SORT OUT ALL THE ORDERS UP TO THIS POINT. IF THERE ARE ANY COPIES LEFT WE WILL ANNOUNCE IT ON THE NEXT EMAIL UPDATE. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR ENTHUSIASM***

The announcement refers to the new Animal Collective box set titled, logically enough, Animal Crack Box. Apparently its appeal was like "crack" to hipsters, as the 3LP collection, issued by Catsup Plate and priced at $92.00, only went on sale yesterday. Customers were limited to just one copy apiece.

As Pitchfork pointed out in its Monday evening report, the limited edition (only 1,000 copies) will not be issued digitally or on CD so "you should probably act quickly if you want it." Oops - too late, kids!

A test pressing of the album reportedly sold earlier this year on eBay for $2,425, with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders, further proof of the band's appeal at the cash register. Scanning eBay right this moment does not yield any current listings for the new/official version of the box, although if anyone is looking for Crack the Sky's Animal Notes LP you can scoop it up for about three bucks....

Track Listing for Animal Crack Box:

A1. Jimmy Raven
A2. Ahhh Good Country
A3. Iko Ovo
B1. Pumpkin Gets a Snakebite
B2. Pumpkin's Hallucination
B3. Pumpkin's Funeral
C1. Jungle Heat
C2. Hey Friend
C3. De Soto De Son
D1. Oh Sweet
D2. Young Prayer #2
D3. Do the Nurse
E1. Ice Cream Factory
E2. Hey Light
E3. Two Sails
F1. Don't Believe the Pilot
F2. Who Could Win a Rabbit
F3. Mouth Wooed Her
F4. Covered in Frogs
F5. We Tigers

Joy Division meets Miles Davis? WTF?!?

By Fred Mills

"Somewhere along the way it occurred to me that we should do a double album. Just this idea that you can kind of weave a couple of themes into there and you can sort of sprawl a little bit. And some of my favorite records - thinking Beatles 'White Album,' Zeppelin's 'Physical Graffiti' and even some of the longer things that the Clash have done - part of the reason I like them is that they're not focused. They're kind of like a free-for-all and go everywhere."

That's Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, talking to Billboard.com about the next Lips album, as yet untitled but tentatively slated for a late summer release. The followup to 2006's At War with the Mystics apparently already includes some 13 finished tracks, and the band plans to cut 8 or 9 more - making it a double CD. Coyne indicated they want to wrap things up as much as possible prior to June and their hitting the summer festival circuit.

He also told Bilboard.com that the new material is shaping up differently from previous Lips excursions: "I think with this there was an element of accidentally stumbling upon more spontaneous sort of freak-out stuff. We were sitting at (drummer) Steven's house and we just started out having these freak-out jam sessions where he'd play drums and I'd play bass and we just would sort of do freaky stuff. Some of those recordings, even though they're not recorded very well, really had a spontaneity about them that we probably wouldn't have purposely done. So we just went with some of that and use those as sort of the bedrock of what we'd do later on with overdubs and lyrics and stuff like that. It sounds very exciting."

Coyne cites the new tune "Convinced of the Hex" ("Joy Division meets Miles Davis") and "I Don't Understand Karma" ("his response to John Lennon's ‘Instant Karma') as evidence of their new musical direction.

We can only hope the band doesn't succumb to White Album-styled lack of focus, or, worse, Frampton Comes Alive!-derived noodling. Let's think Tommy, perhaps, or thinking about that Miles ref, how about Bitches Brew?

Meanwhile, read our recent interview with Coyne about the recent Teeshirtgate and the Oklahoma state song flap HERE.

Happening July 1 in Seattle and featuring a who's-who of Americana.

By Fred Mills

It's the inaugural No Depression festival, and if you don't know what the words "No Depression" refer to then you've clearly been imprisoned in an Iranian jail for a good while. Don't despair though: upon your release, you can head over to Seattle on Saturday, July 1, where Iron & Wine and Gillian Welch are heading up the all-day event hosted by, you guessed it, the good folks at No Depression magazine (visit the venerable Americana magazine on the web these days at NoDepression.com).

The full lineup: Gillian Welch, Iron & Wine, Patterson Hood & the Screwtopians, Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, Justin Townes Earle, Jessica Lea Mayfield, a Seattle roots-music all-star revue, and Zee Avi.

It'll take place at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Wash., near Seattle. Tickets are priced at $45 and they go on sale this Friday, May 15, via Ticketbastard or by phone at 206-628-0888. For more details, go HERE.

Nocturnals will also be touring all summer leading up to a fall release for the album.

By Blurt Staff

BLURT faves Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have recently been in Village Recorder in West L.A. working on their third album. Helming the project: none other than T Bone Burnett you may have heard of the guy). They're shooting for a fall release from the band's label, Hollywood Records.

"T Bone's a legend but also a genuinely effervescent personality, which is what I look for in anybody, especially a producer," said Potter, in a statement, who explained that Burnett's name has been at the top of the band's wish list since it formed in 2002. "We've been putting out feelers for a while," she says. "In the end, it was Bob Cavallo [Chairman of the Disney Music Group] who called him and said, ‘T Bone, you owe me 25 bucks.'  He was referring to a golf match they'd had like 20 years ago. How funny is that?" Soon thereafter, Burnett, Cavallo and Potter got together for breakfast. "They both have such spectacular histories, and for the first 45 minutes they just traded stories. I thought it would just be a ‘getting to know you' meeting, but at the end, T Bone said, ‘Let's go make a record.'"

Potter and Burnett have been sifting through the raft of material the band has amassed since 2007's This Is Somewhere (there's also been the live EP Live In Skowhegan, reviewed by BLURT). Potter indicated the new songs ranged from "feel-good to salty Americana to swaggering soul with a backbeat. T Bone put the project in cinematic terms. He told me, ‘You and your voice and your songs are the movie; I'm just gonna score the movie.' Since then we've been riffing back and forth: I'll shoot a song demo to him on MP3, and he'll get me notes back within a few hours. He has a really interesting sense of the big picture, but has an acute sense of subtle detail. It's such a huge relief to find a producer of T Bone's caliber we can totally put our trust in, not just because of the records he's made, but because of the person he is. Now it's happening, and we're excited and ready!"

In between recording and mixing the new album, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals will be on the road (including a stop at Bonnaroo) previewing songs from their upcoming album.

Tour dates:

May 16      Dana Point, CA                Doheny Blues Fest                              (headline Renaissance stage)

May 17      Birmingham, AL                Alys Stephens Center                         **Grace Potter solo

May 28      Baltimore, MD                  8 X 10                                               *headlining

May 29      Millvale, PA                     Mr. Small's                                         *headlining

May 30      Lexington, KY                   The Dame                                          *headlining

June 4        Enterprise, AL                   BamaJam                                           (Alternative Stage)

June 5        Live Oaks, FL                   Wannee Festival                                (Mushroom Stage)

June 6        Savannah, GA                 Livewire Music Hall                             *headlining

June 8        Isle of Palms, SC               The Windjammer                               *headlining

June 11      Knoxville, TN                   Sundown in the City                           *headlining

June 12      Manchester, TN                Bonnarroo Music Festival                   

June 20      Millville, NJ                      Southern Shore Music Festival            (Carmel Green Stage)

June 21      Croton on Hudson, NY      Great Hudson River Festival              

June 25      Albany, NY                      Alive At Five                                      *headlining

June 27      Fort Smith, AK                  Riverfront Park                                 

June 28      Fort Smith, AK                  Neumeier's Rib Room                         *headlining

July 3         Telluride, CO                   Red, White & Blues                            *headlining

July 5         Rothbury, MI                    Rothbury                                           (Sherwood Court Stage)

July 17       Alta, Wyoming                 Grand Targhee Americanan Festival 

July 18       Park City, UT                   Mountain Town Stages                       *headlining

July 24       Floyd, VA                        Floyd Festival                                    (headline Main Stage)

July 26       Bridgeport, CT                 Gathering of the Vibes                      (Main Stage)

Sept. 5       New Orleans, LA              Project 30-90                                   

[Photo Credit: James Minchin III]

Musicians, film stars, moguls, activists all come together.

By Blurt Staff

I don't mind stealing bread
From the mouths of decadence
But I can't feed on the powerless
When my cup's already overfilled
But it's on the table
The fire is cooking
And they're farming babies
While the slaves are working
The blood is on the table
And their mouths

Are choking
But I'm growing hungry

(-from "Hunger Strike," Temple of the Dog)

Joining activist-actress Mia Farrow and Virgin Group Founder and Chairman Sir Richard Branson is Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman on the Darfur Fast For Life project. They are all fasting and only taking water for three days in order to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis currently taking place in Darfur, as well as to encourage long-term U.S. Government actions to bring lasting peace to the people of Sudan. Also taking part: U.S. Representative Donald Payne who is Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and works tirelessly to end the suffering in Darfur.

Expressing his outrage at the situation in Darfur, Foreman said, in a statement, "Can it be possible that right now, two and a half million people are waking up in camps and refugee camps having been driven from their homes by violent means? Under the same sun, could it be true that almost half a million people have died of starvation, violence, and disease over the past six years in Darfur? Is this true?!  And if this is true, why has the media remained almost completely silent on the issue? Why has our government maintained it's current stance of inaction?"

Foreman follows Actress-Activist Mia Farrow and Virgin CEO and Founder Sir Richard Branson and others in sharing their experiences through video and blog posts at http://www.fastdarfur.org .

The Darfur Fast for Life: We are leaders, activists and citizens around the world who fast in solidarity with the people of Darfur because they do not have a choice. We fast as a personal expression of outrage at a world that has allowed the suffering of millions of innocent people. We fast because as we simply watched, Darfur's defenseless people were forced into wretched camps where today they are facing starvation and disease. We fast because those in positions of authority who know what is right and just, could and should do more to alleviate their suffering and bring peace, protection, and justice to the people of Sudan.

We fast for Darfur's courageous people -because we yearn for a world where human rights are respected and a life of dignity is the legacy for every man, woman and child.

Don't try this at home, kids. It's illegal in most states... not the codependent relationship part, the knives.

By Fred Mills

A short film for Bob Dylan's "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" - from the new album Together Through Life, natch -  was shot by AFI and Sundance Film Festival award winning director Nash Edgerton. It stars Amanda Aardsma and Joel Stoffer.

Spoiler alert: blood, knives and more than a little guy-on-gal, gal-on-guy violence ahead. Not to mention a happy ending!

The video will make its broadcast premiere tonight (May 12) at 10:15pm this evening on the IFC Channel, and can additionally be seen at IFC.com starting today through Thursday May 14.

Check it out: http://www.ifc.com/dylan

Meanwhile, read what BLURT had to say about the album HERE.

New EP features covers, exclusive live and acoustic recordings

By Blurt Staff

The Cab has a new EP ready for June 16 release. What Happens in Vegas features all kinds of covers, exclusive live and acoustic recordings and a remix of "Take My Hand" which features Cassadee Pope of Hey Monday.

The band's also on the road with a new tour. Check out the dates below and get more information at The Cab

JUNE

18      Tucson, AZ                      Club Congress

19      West Hollywood, CA          The Roxy

20      Anaheim, CA                    Chain Reaction

21      San Francisco, CA             Café du Nord

23      Seattle, WA                      Chop Suey

24      Portland, OR                    Hawthorne Theatre

25      Boise, ID                          The Venue

26      Salt Lake City, UT             Kilby Court

27      Denver, CO                      Marquis Theater

28      Omaha, NE                      Sokol Underground

30      Minneapolis, MN               Triple Rock

JULY

1        Milwaukee, WI                  Summerfest

2        Chicago, IL                      Subterranean

5        Columbus, OH                  The Basement

7        Cleveland Heights, OH       Grog Shop

8        Grand Rapids, IA              Intersection

9        Pontiac, MI                       iLounge

10      Millvale, PA                      Mr. Smalls Theatre

11      Buffalo, NY                      Mohawk Place

12      Albany, NY                      Valentine's

14      South Hackensack, NJ       School Of Rock

15      New York, NY                  Highline Ballroom

16      Foxboro, MA                    Showcase Live

17      Hartford, CT                     Webster Underground

18      Philadelphia, PA               North Star Bar

19      Allston, MA                      Harpers Ferry

21      Farmingdale, NY               Crazy Donkey

22      Lancaster, PA                   Chameleon

23      Bloomington, IN               Rhino's

24      Wheaton, IL                     Dupage County Fair

25      Cincinnati, OH                  20th Century Theatre

26      Louisville, KY                    Headliners Music Hall

28      Washington, DC                9:30 Club

29      Raleigh, NC                      The Brewery

30      Atlanta, GA                      The Masquerade

31      Orlando, FL                      The Social

AUGUST

1        Fort Lauderdale, FL           Culture Room

2        Tampa, FL                       Orpheum

4        Houston, TX                     Warehouse Live

5        Austin, TX                        Emo's Alternative Lounge

6        Dallas, TX                        Pontiac Garage @ House of Blues

7        Albuquerque, NM              Launchpad

8        Tempe, AZ                       The Clubhouse

9        Las Vegas, NV                  House of Blues

More of that sweet Italo-disco-meets-Swedish-pop stuff.

By Blurt Staff

Paper Bag Records have unveiled a sneak peek at the new Sally Shapiro single, "Miracle." It's the initial followup to last year's acclaimed Disco Romance and will be available commercially via Paper Bag on June 16, with a new full-length slated to hit this fall.

"Miracle" is written and produced by Johan Agebjörn and Roger Gunnarsson, and includes a remix by up-and-coming Bulgarian producer Bogdan Irkük. Sally will soon reveal the details for the sophomore release, which will include collaborations with German nu-disco producer Tensnake and Swedish italo disco duo Cloetta Paris.

Sally Shapiro's music is a blend of 80s-inspired italo disco and twee indie pop - melancholic yet hopeful, sweet yet danceable. The name "Sally Shapiro" is both referring to the Swedish duo, consisting of the producer Johan Agebjörn and an anonymous singer, as well as the pseudonym of the singer itself.

Sally Shapiro - "Miracle"

Tour kicks off in July and will run for a month.

By Blurt Staff

Tori Amos has announced her "Sinful Attraction Tour" in support of her forthcoming Abnormally Attracted to Sin.  The tour will launch this July in Seattle, with dates across the US. The singer/songwriter will release her Universal Republic debut album on May 19, 2009.

Worth noting: A DVD of corresponding ‘visualettes' for each track will accompany the deluxe version of the album. These interlocking episodic films bring to life the narrative arc of the album.  The footage was captured over the past year and shot with a noir twist in HD and Super 8. 

Watch BLURT for a review of the album soon....

Go to www.toriamos.com for on-sale information.

TOUR DATES:

07/10: Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
07/11: Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
07/13: Oakland, CA @ Paramount Theatre
07/14: Oakland, CA @ Paramount Theatre
07/16: San Diego, CA @ Humphrey's
07/17: Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
07/18: Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
07/20: Salt Lake City, UT @ Abravenal Hall
07/21: Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
07/23: Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
07/24: Grand Prairie, TX @ Nokia Theatre
07/25: Austin, TX @ The Long Center for the Performing Arts
07/27: Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre
07/28: Orlando, FL @ Bob Carr Performing Arts Center
07/29: Miami Beach, FL @ The Fillmore Miami Beach @ The Jackie Gleason Theater
07/31: Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
08/01: Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
08/03: Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
08/04: Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theatre
08/05: Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
08/07: Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre
08/08: Detroit, MI @ Detroit Opera House
08/10: Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
08/11: Montreal, QC @ St. Denis Theatre,
08/13: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall,
08/15: Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
08/17: Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion

Available for your discretionary listening right this very moment...

By Fred Mills

Bloggers ‘n' boozers are all a-twitter (term used loosely and literally) over the apparent leaking yesterday of the new Wilco album, sensibly titled Wilco (The Album) and due June 30 from Nonesuch. Never mind that Wilco is considered a major band and that leaks are considered commonplace for major (and minor) artists these days - so much so, that often the bands themselves, typically lower-tier groups trying to drum up some publicity by creating a fake controversy, do the leaking. All the web chatter appears to be centered around the whole notion of "I found it first!" "No, I found it first!" as well as endless speculation over who exactly did the initial leaking.

For example, one hyperventilating blogger at RiverfrontTimes.com, in a squeaky rant titled "At What Point Did Wilco (The Album) become Wilco (The Leak)?, expressed shock and awe, writing in a manner that suggests she's just discovered the whole "leak" phenomenon. "The way these illicit copies spread across the Internet is fascinating -- like a series of dominoes falling," the blogger gasps. "When you look at a Twitter feed full of Wilco fans, you can really visualize the psychology and reality behind something like a big CD leaking early. Plus, by morning, news of the leak is going to hit blogs and mainstream media, more people are going to look for the album -- and the cycle will perpetuate itself even faster."

Yeah, duh.

She also queried rather speciously, "Something I've always wondered about leaks of big albums: They tend to happen at night, Why is this? Also, I'm dying to know where this leak originated, because labels increasingly have a tight grip on highly anticipated albums, and don't release promos at all to press for review. How did this even get out so early?"

Well, we can answer that pretty handily for you, as did one apparently sane and sober person also did in the response postings to the RiverfrontTime.com item: advance press copies of Wilco (The Album) started arriving in mailboxes over the weekend and early this week, which may or may not mean a journalist is the source of the leak. Possibly a thieving mailman, maybe Jay Bennett, maybe even the band itself. We dunno. Who cares! (It is a FANTASTIC album by the way.)

At any rate, in what may be a direct response to last night's leak, Wilco (The Band) is now streaming the entire album at their website. Our recommendation is to take off that blogging cap (it's pinching your pointy little heads), go to the Wilco site, crank up the volume, and just sit back and enjoy the next hour or so, unencumbered by naught but some solid rock ‘n' roll.

And hey, what's up with that George Harrison/"My Sweet Lord" riff in "You Never Know"?

Bringing their Sun Gangs to the States.

By Blurt Staff

The Veils are headed to the U.S. and Canada in July, touring in support of their recently released Rough Trade album, Sun Gangs. They'll be playing with Secretly Canadian's Foreign Born for most of the dates, except for Los Angeles where they'll be headlining their own show at Spaceland. See tour dates below.

The Veils - Finn Andrews, (vocals, guitar, piano, New Zealand) Sophia Burn, (bass, New Zealand) Dan Raishbrook (guitar, odd noise, England) and Henning Dietz (drums, Germany) - have been steadily developing as a band, and the Graham Sutton-produced Sun Gangs is already amassing a fair share of critical kudos. Why, just the other day, BLURT,  in a nine-out-of-ten-stars review, cited its "gorgeous" qualities, its "majesty" and its "richly detailed images."

Tour Dates:

Thu, 7/9 - Vancouver BC - Media Club

Fri, 7/10 - Seattle WA - Chop Suey

Sat, 7/11 - Portland OR - Mississippi Studios

Mon, 7/13 - San Francisco CA - Bottom of the Hill

Wed, 7/15 - Los Angeles CA - Spaceland

Fri, 7/17 - Tucson AZ - Plush

Sun, 7/19 - Austin TX - Mohawk

Mon, 7/20 - Norman OK - Opolis

Wed, 7/22 - Minneapolis MN - 7th Street Entry

Thu, 7/23 - Chicago IL - Empty Bottle

Fri, 7/24 - Cleveland OH - Beachland Ballroom 

Sat, 7/25 - Pontiac MI - Pike Room @ the Crofoot

Mon, 7/27 - Toronto ON - Horseshoe Tavern

Tue, 7/28 - Montreal QC - La Sala Rossa

Wed, 7/29  - Boston MA - TT The Bear's

Thu, 7/30 - New York NY - Mercury Lounge

Fri, 7/31 - Philadelphia PA - Johnny Brenda's

Sat, 8/1 - Washington DC - Rock & Roll Hotel

Mon, 8/3 - Brooklyn NY - The Bell House

The old queen bitch finally sees his in-demand episode released.

By Blurt Staff

Many artists have appeared on "VH1 Storytellers" - and quite a few, notably Tom Waits, have never had their segments re-aired or made commercially available (luckily we taped the show and it remains a cherished part of our video collection; it's also been bootlegged). David Bowie was another, and his August 23, 1999, episode is remembered by fans as a highlight of VH1's acclaimed performance series. 

On July 14, Virgin/EMI will release David Bowie: VH1 Storytellers on CD/DVD and for digital audio purchase from all major digital service providers. The CD/DVD features audio and video for Bowie's televised performance of eight songs, plus bonus video of four performances taped during his "Storytellers" session, but not aired in the show's original broadcast.  The digital audio release also includes the eight originally televised songs and the four bonus performances.

To date, more than 60 episodes of "VH1 Storytellers" have aired on VH1. "We were used to dealing with legendary musicians," says "VH1 Storytellers" Executive Producer, Bill Flanagan, in his liner notes essay for the new Bowie release.  "Still, landing David Bowie was more than a big booking. There's no way to say this without being corny: it was an honor. Bowie has a unique place in rock & roll. He is not only one of the most influential musicians of the era, he does nothing unless he is fully committed. He never phones it in."

Flanagan continues, "Bowie's ‘Storytellers' was a unique theatrical event, a sort of off-Broadway ‘Evening with the Artist' in which a great songwriter used bits and pieces from his life and career to show us all the roads leading up to a single moment, a complement to his current album but also a performance strong enough to stand on its own: a compelling introduction to David Bowie for the uninitiated and a fresh experience for the long time fan."

David Bowie: VH1 Storytellers (CD/DVD)

CD

1. Life On Mars?

2. Rebel Rebel [truncated]

3. Thursday's Child

4. Can't Help Thinking About Me

5. China Girl

6. Seven

7. Drive-In Saturday

8. Word On A Wing

DVD

1. Life On Mars?

2. Rebel Rebel [truncated]

3. Thursday's Child

4. Can't Help Thinking About Me

5. China Girl

6. Seven

7. Drive-In Saturday

8. Word On A Wing

Bonus Video Performances

9. Survive

10. I Can't Read

11. Always Crashing In The Same Car

12. If I'm Dreaming My Life

David Bowie: VH1 Storytellers (Digital Audio)

1. Life On Mars?

2. Rebel Rebel [truncated]

3. Thursday's Child

4. Can't Help Thinking About Me

5. China Girl

6. Seven

7. Drive-In Saturday

8. Word On A Wing

Bonus Audio Performances

9. Survive

10. I Can't Read

11. Always Crashing In The Same Car

12. If I'm Dreaming My Life

Raw and sassy as Wanda Jackson in her prime. Boy howdy!

By Fred Mills

The band that is rockin' the BLURT boogie van right now? Thanks for askin'! That would be Murfreesboro, Tenn., distaff rockers Those Darlins, whose new, self-titled album arrives on July 7. Imagine the Ramones if they were chicks, had a healthy appreciation for twang, Americana and even some bluegrass, and sang about getting drunk all the time instead of sniffing glue and you've just about got it.

As we put it in our forthcoming review of Those Darlins, "They crank a sound as raw and sassy as Wanda Jackson in her prime.  These three 20-something ladies - Kelley, Jessi and Nikki Darlin' - hitch down-home gospel harmonies to uptempo punk beats, honky tonk guitar riffs to acerbic lyrics."

Well, all right then. We are all about ascerbic lyrics!

The group will also be touring starting, uh, LAST NIGHT, including selected dates with partners-in-chaos the Dexateens and a showstopper CD release party in Nashville towards the end of June with none other than the Black Lips (speaking of chaos).

If you haven't been following what we're saying, we suggest you hotfoot it over to the band's MySpace page (www.myspace.com/darlins) and check out some of the tunes, pics and other details....

Tracklisting:

1--Red Light Love
2--Wild One
3--Mama's Heart
4--Hung Up On Me
5--The Whole Damn Thing
6--Who's That Knockin' At My Window
7--Glass To You
8--Snaggle Tooth Mama
9--Cannonball Blues
10--222
11--Dui Or Die
12--Keep My Skillet Good And Greasy

TOUR DATES:

MAY.
12 - Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel+
13 - Charlottesville, VA @ IS Venue+
19 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop+
20 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas+
21 - Newport, KY @ The Parlour+
22 - Lexington, KY @ The Dame+
23 - Knoxville, TN @ Barley's Tap Room+

JUNE.
11: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo (8:30PM)
19: Bristol, VA @ Border Bash
20: Asheville, NC @ BOBO Gallery
25: Atlanta @ Drunken Unicorn
26: Athens, GA @ AthFest
27: Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge*

* w/the Black Lips
+ w/The Features & The Dexateens

"We've dug a little hole and we have to fill it": magazine launches online Paste-a-thon to raise money to continue operating.

By Fred Mills

With consumer anger over bank and car industry bailouts still simmering, Georgia-based Paste magazine, apparently reeling from a steep decline in advertising sales and in danger of shutting down as a result, did the most logical thing it could do in the current economic climate: it asked for a bailout.

In an open letter posted to the Paste website yesterday, the seven-year-old magazine appealed to readers for cash donations (non-deductible, incidentally) for as little as $1 and as much as $100. "Every little bit helps," said the latter, "and you can be a part of continuing our efforts to help you find signs of life in music, film and culture. If $1 (yes, one dollar) came in from everyone on our e-mail lists (or $10 from 10% or $100 from 1%), we'll reach our goal and emerge from this recession as a stronger magazine and website."

That goal, incidentally, was confirmed by Paste Editor-in-Chief Josh Jackson (in an interview yesterday with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution), to be in "the low six figures," so you can do the math: if every one of the magazine's estimated 205,000 readers coughs up a buck, they'll net over two hundred thousand dollars. That's not just Decatur chicken feed.

"We have been trying to cut costs but apparently not fast enough," Jackson told the AJ-C. "We're at the point where we have to go to the readers for a little help. We hope it will be a one-time thing... We feel like even in the current ad climate we can break even for a while but we haven't for some months. We've dug a little hole and we have to fill it."

Also as part of "The Campaign To Save Paste" (a donations page has been set up at the Paste website), the magazine has rounded up a slew of "rare and exclusive" MP3s from artists - among them, Decemberists, Neko Case, She & Him, Of Montreal, Bob Mould, Shawn Mullins, Avett Brothers and the Cowboy Junkies - that will be offered to donating readers as a thank-you. (Earlier this week, sources tell BLURT, the magazine had been approaching scores of record labels and requesting that they have their artists donate free MP3s for the cause.) Various other giveaways and promotions are planned, including autographed posters from REM and Band of Horses.

As word starting getting out about the Paste situation, response from bloggers and various media watchers ranged from the "vaguely sympathetic" to the somewhat "snarkily gleeful" (some folks just like dancing on graves, one supposes). Atlanta blog DriveAFasterCar.com characterized the magazine's status as "on its last legs, trying to scrounge up" money, additionally publishing a tip from an anonymous source reportedly close to the magazine indicating that  Paste staff members were taking a 20% pay cut. (Jackson confirmed to the AJ-C that the 15-member staff was indeed taking a cut, but wouldn't indicate how much.) DriveAFasterCar.com subsequently was forced to backpedal a bit in regards to the tone of its postings, taking pains to point out that its intention was not to mock or belittle Paste.

Meanwhile, everyone's favorite reliable source of pop culture info, Gawker.com, characterized Paste as "not long for this world" in its announcement of the news. And over at Idolator.com, in a lengthy screed titled "Paste Throws A Hail Mary Pass," a number of valid points regarding the situation were raised, among them: (1) it confirms "suspicions that the economic crunch-not to mention the music industry's hard times-has adversely affected yet another music-related media outlet"; (2) that "losing a mass-distributed voice for music discussion and discovery is always a scary thing"; and (3) that when Paste launched its mimic-the-Radiohead-pay-what-you-like-model for reader subscriptions a couple of years ago, perhaps it should have thought out the gimmick a bit more fully (for example, offering PDF subscriptions as part of a tiered subscription policy rather than simply letting some folks pay, say, a buck for a sub to the print magazine).

All this provides food for thought, particularly the part about potentially losing another print outlet. Trust me - we at BLURT know of what we speak, having gone through our own shuttering of a magazine (we used to be Harp, in case you didn't know, and the magazine closed up a year ago en route to bankruptcy). So it will be interesting to see how all this plays out and whether the Paste plea will yield the necessary funds to remain solvent or if readers, mindful of their own economic woes and reluctant to support an entity that has steadily shrunk in size even as it moved significantly away from its original mission of covering independent music, will shrug a collective "eh" in a vote of no-confidence.

***

CODA: None of this comes as any great surprise to folks who have been watching the magazine business, of course. And rumors of Paste's troubles were swirling as far back as March at SXSW in Austin where on four separate occasions I talked to an attendee who'd been writing for Paste and was having trouble getting paid. One of those four - a very prominent national writer with decades of journalism experience, incidentally - told me flat out, "As of the last issue I wrote for, they owe me [xxxxxx], and I'm not the only one. Writers are always the first to get stiffed, and that's usually the first sign of a magazine that's going down, don't you think?"

As if in answer to the aforementioned complaint, yesterday Paste Editor-in-Chief Jackson sent out a letter to the magazine's contributors - you can read the entire letter posted at Gawker.com - in which he disclosed, in general, their financial woes, outlined the donation campaign, and pledged to make good (or to attempt to make good) on outstanding invoices. For anyone who's ever worked at a magazine, either in an editorial capacity or simply as a freelance contributor, much of this rings true, unfortunately.

"I know you're all very aware of the financial troubles Paste has been in," Jackson wrote, "as many of you are still owed money for articles you wrote, illustrations you drew or photographs you took several months ago." Noting that in order to maintain operations Paste has to remain up-to-date on printer and U.S. Post Office bills, Jackson cited a number of cost-cutting measures they'd implemented, including "getting rid of the CD that accompanies Paste, cutting out most all of our travel, taking across-the-board paycuts, shrinking the page count and assigning less freelance work."

Asking for "patience" on the part of the contributors, Jackson concluded, "Our hope is that we'll raise enough to catch all of you up to current. Short of that, we'll be catching you up as much as we can. We've hated falling further and further behind with the people who've made Paste what it is, and we know most of you rely on freelance work for your living. We can't thank you enough for your patience... We look greatly forward to the days where Paste is growing in pages (and assignments) and is once again known for always paying folks on time."

By Fred "Tru" Mills

Infinite, the pre-fame 1996 debut album by Eminem, is available now as a free download. It's long been out of print, but fans can now access is at 50 Cent's website, ThisIs50, where not so coincidentally his buddy Em also maintains a blog.

It's also probably not a coincidence that the new Eminem record Relapse is out next Tuesday.

The '96 album, originally issued by Web Entertainment, included Eminem's D-12 bandmates Kon Artis, Eye-Kyu and Proof (now deceased).

New album en route in August from Yep Roc.

By Blurt Staff

2 Tone/Second Wave ska invasionists Madness have waited nearly a decade to offer the world new songs. On August 18^th Yep Roc Records offers the answer, The Liberty of Norton Folgate.

Formed in the fertile underground of 1976 London (along with contemporaries The Specials), Madness is a seven man musical army hell bent on capturing the colorful influences of the people and cultures of their beloved city. Their dedication to the exploration of musical London as well as countless UK top ten singles/albums have garnered the band household name status in Britain, making the album one of the most anticipated releases of the year in their home country.

Most known in the U.S. for their still ubiquitous #7 Billboard hit ‘Our House,' the band has sustained cult status here in the States. It has been a decade since their album Wonderful  (1999) [The all-covers album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 was released in 2005].

Described by the band as an "audio guide to the greatest city on earth" and Madness' unique take on the concept album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate moves between elements of burlesque jazz, rock, ska and even polka combining for an effortless lesson in pop song craft.

An area outside the city walls of the old city of London, Norton Folgate was one of several original ‘liberties' independent of the bureaucracy of the main city government.  Founding member Graham McPherson (aka Suggs) describes the area as, "a refuge for actors, writers, thinkers, louts, lowlifes and libertines - outsiders and troublemakers all. Sounds like our kind of place does it not?!" Suggs continues, "We'd been kicking around the idea of a concept album about London for a while. We wanted to get the x-ray camera out and shoot down through the crust, past the bullets and bones, the clay pipes and stones, to try and get to the soul of the place. We're all dancing in the moonlight, were all on borrowed ground."

The spirit of the place that would later become Whitechapel, the hunting ground of Jack the Ripper, stalks this album... be very, very afraid!

London bookies taking bets as to how long it will be before MP3s hit the web.

By Fred Mills

Remember last week when we told you about that stream of the new Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse album Dark Night of the Soul? The one featuring guests like David Lynch (providing "visuals," such as THESE), Iggy Pop, the Flaming Lips, Black Francis and others? It was streaming at the Chrysalis Music Blog and fans were indeed flocking to the stream.

Turns out Chrysalis wasn't supposed to be streaming it at all! Oops! Or so they say - it could have been a hype-boosting p.r. stunt - as there's now a message at the blog saying that the album is no longer available to stream here... We regret that we inadvertently did so. It won't happen again."

Never fear, gentle readers. Just hop over to the NPR Music site, where the album is now streaming in an official capacity. There's also a description from an NPR staffer of the record along with some background information, including these details:

"The songs were written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, though the myriad singers featured on each track also had a big hand in composing and producing the work. The album will be packaged with a book of photos taken by David Lynch. Can this get any better? I've listened to the album all the way through at least a dozen times, and can confirm that Dark Night of the Soul delivers in every way you'd hope for. It's beautiful but haunting, surreal and dark, but sometimes comical and affecting, with ear-popping, multilayered production work. It just gets more mesmerizing with every listen."

NPR adds that the album isn't due out until July (actual label TBA), and the album/book package will be a limited edition of 5,000. There's also an indication that "for now, no legal downloadable version of the album will be offered."

Operative term "legal download": copies of the album went out to the press last week, and in light of that Wilco album leak Tuesday, which most likely was the result of some eager-beaver journalist uploading his advance, one imagines that any project involving Danger Mouse will hit the web soon enough too.

What's more, they want to record a new album as well...

By Blurt Staff

Proof that if you WANT to remember the ‘80s, you probably weren't there arrives today with news that archetypal ‘80s pop outfit Kajagoogoo has gotten back together and will be touring for the first time in a quarter century. They got together for a brief spell in 2004 for that atrocious VH1 program "Bands Reunited" (anybody who saw the classic Flock of Seagulls segment, raise your hands) and then sane head prevailed and they put the beast to rest a second time.

Britain's Mirror is reporting, however, that the fiftysomethings mullet farmers, fronted by fey vocalist Limahl (real name: Christopher Hamill) will be touring Britain this fall starting in mid September (dates at Kajagoogoo.com).

"It's good to be back, Limahl told the Mirror. "Back then, we didn't have time to enjoy things. But now we're older and a bit wiser, so we can enjoy it a lot more. [And] We'll go back in the studio and record some new stuff."

Oof. You have been warned, punters. Okay, everybody sing along together... "too shy-shy...."

[Kajagoogoo then, above, and now, below]

Stuck in Mexico with those surgical mask blues again...

By Blurt Staff

Chuck Prophet mentioned to friends and Fellow Travelers early this year that he intended to make a "political album for non-political people," To this end he went, "a couple thousand feet above Denver to see what I can see." Recording high up in Mexico City things went a little...well, shall we say, haywire.

Amid the pandemic paranoia and 6.4 earthquakes Prophet soldiered on, wrapping up an album and dealing with the indignity of having to wear a blue surgical mask just to fit in.

Power outages come and go and hard drives have sizzled but Prophet calls the work, "far better than I had even hoped for." Early listens say he might be right - he's gone for a live-in-the-studio feel rather than the more mannered and layered feel of his last couple of outings.

"What were you doing when the plague came and the world cracked in two? I was in Mexico City eating little tacos on a picnic table and trying to count the green Beetle taxi cabs. It's a funny world -- Weird and then some."

The as yet untitled album will be out this fall on Yep Roc Records.

Follow the whole fiasco on Twitter... http://twitter.com/ChuckProphet .

[Photo Credit: Francisco Miranda]

"Summertime Clothes" features three extra remixes too.

By Blurt Staff

Too bad about that sold-out Animal Collective box set but fans can console themselves as the band is out on tour RIGHT NOW - see tour dates, below. Manwhile, "Summertime Clothes", the second single taken from Animal Collective's universally acclaimed LP, Merriweather Post Pavilion, will be available July 7th in North America on 12" and digitally. "Summertime Clothes" is a deliriously warm and instantly infectious track.  Remixes are courtesy of Hyperdub's elusive and spooky beatmaker, Zomby, LA's ‘Ambassador of Boogie Funk' Dam-Funk, and South London breakbeat and dubstep producer, LD.

Animal Collective recently gave a performance of the song on the David Letterman show. The band was joined by Brooklyn dance troupe FLEX who will also be featured in the forthcoming Danny Perez directed video. Check out the Letterman performance here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehLEHxvl9rA

Tracklisting for the single:

A1 - Summertime Clothes (Album Version)

A2 - Summertime Clothes (Dam-Funk Remix)

B1 - Summertime Clothes (Leon Day AKA L.D Remix)

B2 - Summertime Clothes (Zomby's Analog Lego Mix)

Tour Dates:

05.15: Montreal, PQ - Metropolis

05.16: Toronto, ON - Sound Academy

05.18: Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall

05.19: Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

05.24: Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom

05.25: Portland, OR - Roseland Theater

05.26: Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre

05.27: Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Memorial Library

05.29: Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern

05.30: Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

05.31: Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theater

06.01: Albuquerque, MN - Sunshine Theater

06.02: Boulder, CO - Boulder Theatre

06.04: Dallas, TX - House Of Blues

06.05: Austin, TX - Stubbs

06.06: Oxford, MS - The Library

06.08: St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre

06.09: Fort Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room

06.10: Orlando, FL - Club Firestone

06.12: Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music Festival

08.14: Brooklyn, NY - Prospect Park Bandshell

08.15: Brooklyn, NY - Prospect Park Bandshell

09.12: Monticello, NY - ATP

July album will be accompanied by a tour.

By Blurt Staff

Hometapes is will be releasing Durham, NC, combo Megafaun's second album Gather, Form & Fly on July 21^st. It's billed as "a monument to a band that hundreds have experienced on stages, under trees, in galleries, on floors, in headphones, and through radios-with-the-windows-down over the past three years....  a record that is an ode to death, love, musical history (from blues to musique-concréte), community, tradition, and experimentation. In all, it's an ode to the listener."

Want a free taste? Check it out: Megafaun -- "The Fade"

Based in Durham, North Carolina, Megafaun was built by brothers Brad and Phil Cook and fellow Eau Claire, Wisconsin native Joe Westerlund. The trio, plus longtime friend Justin Vernon (a.k.a. Bon Iver), made the cross country move together from WI to NC as the band DeYarmond Edison, ultimately splitting in 2006. Megafaun was born from those ashes and proceeded to record the remarkable album Bury the Square in 2007. The band found a home on the road, additionally collaborating with friends (they also joined Akron/Family and Dreyblatt as backing band).

Brad, Phil, and Joe have been playing in bands together since 1997, after meeting at jazz camp in Wisconsin as teenagers. With the end of DeYarmond Edison, says Phil, "Brad and I left our primary instruments behind and picked up secondary ones. We booked a seven day tour without having written any songs." "We've become song writers collectively and individually through the birth of this band," adds Joe, "and Gather, Form & Fly marks a huge growth and change in our thinking about time and song form."

Track List:

1. Bella Marie
2. Kaufman's Ballad
3. The Fade
4. Impressions of the Past

5. Worried Mind

6. The Process

7. Solid Ground

8. Darkest Hour

9. Gather, Form and Fly

10. Columns

11. The Longesty Day

12. Guns

13. Tides

Megafaun will also embark on an extensive tour in support of Gather, Form & Fly with Bowerbirds beginning in July:

07/06/09 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
07/07/09 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
07/10/09 - Providence, RI - Club Hell
07/11/09 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
07/12/09 - Cambridge, MA - TT The Bear's Place
07/13/09 - Montreal QC, Canada - La Sala Rossa
07/14/09 - Toronto ON, Canada - Sneaky Dees
07/15/09 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
07/16/09 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room at The Crofoot
07/17/09 - Indianapolis, IN - Vollrath Tavern
07/20/09 - Iowa City, IA - The Mill
07/21/09 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
07/22/09 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
07/26/09 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
07/27/09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
07/29/09 - Vancouver BC, Canada - The Biltmore Cabaret
07/30/09 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door
07/31/09 - Anacortes, WA - Department of Safety
08/01/09 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
08/03/09 - San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord
08/04/09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
08/05/09 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
08/06/09 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
08/10/09 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
08/12/09 - Denton, TX - Hailey's
08/13/09 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk
08/14/09 - Houston, TX - Walter's On Washington
08/15/09 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
08/16/09 - Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree
08/17/09 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl

So track it down by whatever means necessary, kids!

By Fred Mills

Remember yesterday when we told you about that stream of the new Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse album Dark Night of the Soul? The one featuring guests like David Lynch (providing "visuals," such as THESE), Iggy Pop, the Flaming Lips, Black Francis and others? It was streaming at NPR Music and fans were indeed flocking to the stream.

However, if you've visited the NPR site today to check out the album, you will also have encountered this little addition to the information provided: "The album was initially going to be released with a book of photos by director David Lynch in July. But a dispute with EMI records may delay or kill the project."

Well, that's exactly what's happening. Despite the fact that the album is still streaming at NPR (don't hold your breath on that folks), and that advance CDRs of the album have already been sent out to the press (we're lookin' at ours right now... shiny.... Ooh... silvery.... Nice....), according to a report filed late yesterday by TheTripwire.com, there's a dispute between EMI and Danger Mouse that for the moment has left the project in limbo. Or at least the musical portion of it.

See, the limited-edition package was to include, obviously, the DM/SH album along with a book containing David Lynch photos. Now, however, the way things stand is that it the book will be accompanied by a blank CDR.

Tripwire reports that according to a spokesperson for Danger Mouse, the package will "come with a blank, recordable CD-R. All copies will be clearly labeled: ‘For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.' Due to an ongoing dispute with EMI, Danger Mouse is unable to release the recorded music for Dark Night Of The Soul without fear of being sued by EMI. Danger Mouse remains hugely proud of Dark Night Of The Soul and hopes that people lucky enough to hear the music, by whatever means, are as excited by it as he is."

What's interesting is that thus far, there hadn't even been a label announced for the project; not even the Danger Mouse p.r. team knew. So the whole deal about EMI stepping in is bound to raise plenty of speculation about the reasons behind the aforementioned "ongoing dispute."

One thing's for sure: given the fact that press copies are in circulation both in CDR and MP3 form, nobody's going to be able to prevent people from being able to hear the album. As Danger Mouse himself put it in the statement above - by whatever means.

Oh, and watch for a BLURT review of the album soon anyway...

Pink duets with Ellen DeGeneres (really) and talks about tour.

By Nancy Dunham

April Fool's is over and we are not making this up - Pink went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, did a duet with her, and also talked about her upcoming tour and God knows what else - Check out Pink here

We love Ellen, obviously, and Pink but they're just two people you never expected to see together (Madonna and Gwyneth).

Anyway, Pink's funhouse tour is coming to the U.S. Check out dates below:

9/15/09                              Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theatre

9/17/09                              San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion

9/18/09                              Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center (on sale 5/16 @ 12noon)

9/20/09                             Glendale, AZ @ Jobing.com Arena

9/23/09                              Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

9/24/09                              Houston, TX @ Toyota Center

9/26/09                              Chicago, IL @ All State Arena (on sale 5/16 @ 12noon)

9/28/09                              Fairfax, VA @ The Patriot Center

9/30/09                             Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Center

10/2/09                              Boston, MA @ TD North Bank Garden Arena

10/5/09                              New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (on sale 5/16 @ 10am)

Hottie songstress  has new album due out Aug. 4.

By Blurt Staff

Imogen Heap has a new album, Ellipse, due on August 4^th on RCA Records. The story, according to the British singer-songwriter, is that the same day Imogen wrapped up her tour in support of her last record, 2005's Speak For Yourself, she delved into the writing process for Ellipse. Without so much as unpacking, Heap spun Google Earth around a few times to plot some destinations to begin writing. She began in Hawaii "because it was the furthest landmass from any other landmass in a large amount of blue" and worked her way through Fiji, Tasmania, Japan, China and Thailand. Accompanied by only a small writing set up, Ellipse began to take shape. She then returned home to continue work on the record and remained true to her do-it-yourself ethos, building her new studio in the "playroom" of her old family home in Essex, UK, (an 18th century 'oval villa' restored by her parents) which she took on the responsibilities for just before the start of the record.  

An avid social networker (she has 330,000 Twitter followers), Heap has kept her fans up-to-date on the recording process by posting 38 vBlogs, which are all available on her website (www.imogenheap.com). Upfront of the new album, she even invited fans to complete an unfinished track "The Song That Never Was". She provided the lyrics, and over 500 fans added backing music to create their own versions. 
       

Tour dates will be announced shortly for Heap's promotional trek supporting the new album. Meanwhile, fans can get an intriguing peek at her performing onstage with Jeff Beck over at the Amazon.com site - there's a compelling clip from Beck's recent live DVD in which Heap guests on vocals.

That depends on how many billions of dollars of profits it takes to make someone a "dumbass"...

By Fred Mills

Radiohead's Thom Yorke has taken to the band's Dead Air Space blogs again, as Pitchfork is reporting. In an anti-global warming screed he posted today, Yorke encouraged American R-head fans to participate in an online petition campaign and help get moving along "a climate change bill in the US similair [sic] to the one we have passed in the UK... i have been reading how the oil industry is investing millions of dollars in a PR campaign against it! how utterly dumbass is that? how do these people look their children in the eye?"

Well, er, the oil industry throwing millions of bucks into lobbying for its own interests isn't exactly anything new, so it's naïve to suggest otherwise. But Yorke's heart is in the right place, so we say click the links and get cracking on that petition.

We are BLURT magazine, and we approved this message.

THIS is what YouTube members spend their time uploading?!?

By Fred Mills

Some folks just don't get no respect.

That's the situation with Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, who you've probably heard was mugged on April 27 in the parking lot of Southern Tracks Studio in Atlanta, where the band was recording with producer Brendan O'Brien. According to news reports, the broad daylight attack happened when Ament and Mark Smith were at their car and three masked men came out of the woods holding knives. They got a reported $7300 in belongings (phone, laptop, more) and cash, plus Ament's passport - which probably won't seem of much use to the muggers (assuming you have a reasonably good instinct regarding the, uh, demographics of likely muggers in the Atlanta area).

Ament "suffered some lacerations" to the head in a scuffle, reports say.

So now, to add insult to injury, someone has uploaded the surveillance video footage from the parking lot cameras that recorded the assault. See below, but we should add that here's hoping that the crooks are caught. Oh, and that the folks who put the vid on YouTube are permanently barred from PJ concerts too - assholes. To be honest, this is the kind of thing that we usually steer clear of, but everybody and his cousin seems to be posting it to their own site, so it's kind of a moot point. (We'd rather keep you staring at BLURT, too.)

First time together since 2004 split.

By Fred Mills

Last week, early morning May 16, the Libertines essentially reunited in London for a one-off gig at the Rhythm Factory, NME.com is reporting.

Guitarists Pete Doherty and Carl Barat and drummer Gary Powell, joined by Babyshambles bassist Drew McConnell (Babyshambles opened the show), did a set that included Libertines faves "What A Waster," "Up the Bracket," "What Katy Did," "Time for Heroes, "Death on the Stairs" and Can't Stand Me Now."

Other merriment for the evening included a second, brief Babyshambles set that followed the Libertines featuring the group's former guitarist Pat Walden.

Four key albums from the early ‘70s due out on remastered 2-CD set.

By Blurt Staff

Among the cult legends that populate the margins of contemporary popular music, the story of Emitt Rhodes remains one of the most compelling.  Compared by fans and critics favorably to the likes of Paul McCartney, Emitt Rhodes was arguably one of the most overlooked and underappreciated pop-rock singer-songwriters of the ‘60s/'70s.

May 22 marks the official ship date of Hip-O Select's The Emitt Rhodes Recordings. The limited-to-5000 copies, two-CD, 48 song collection features the four albums Emitt Rhodes released between 1970 and 1973 - the three ABC/Dunhill albums Emitt Rhodes, Mirror and Farewell To Paradise, and his one A&M album, American Dream, along with the non-LP single "Tame The Lion," all showcasing Emitt's intricate melodies, harmonies, and arrangements.

Each album has been newly remastered, making these long-out-of-print recordings must-owns for collectors. Indeed, the Rhodes LPs have long held an almost mythic sway over fans of pop. That mystique is, to some degree, a reflection of the sense of mystery that surrounds their creator. (Unlike most cult legends, he didn't issue his masterworks then disappear, however. Instead, Rhodes went on to become an engineer and producer and still lives in Hawthorne, Calif.)

But the real source of the enduring fascination with Rhodes is the music itself....

 Track Listing:

 Disc 1A: THE AMERICAN DREAM (A&M SP-4254, 1971; Recorded 1969)

1. Mother Earth  

2. Pardon Me  

3. Textile Factory  

4. Someone Died  

5. Come Ride, Come Ride  

6. Let's All Sing  

7. Holly Park  

8. Saturday Night  

9. You're A Very Lovely Woman  

10. Mary Will You Take My Hand  

11. The Man He Was  

12. In The Days Of The Old  

13. 'Til The Day After  

Disc 1B: EMITT RHODES (ABC/Dunhill DS-50089, 1970)

1. With My Face On The Floor  

2. Somebody Made For Me  

3. She's Such A Beauty  

4. Long Time No See  

5. Lullabye  

6. Fresh As A Daisy  

7. Live Till You Die  

8. Promises I've Made  

9. You Take The Dark Out Of The Night  

10. You Should Be Ashamed  

11. Ever Find Yourself Running  

12. You Must Have  

Disc 2A: MIRROR (ABC/Dunhill DSX-50111, 1971)

1. Birthday Lady  

2. Better Side Of Life  

3. My Love Is Strong  

4. Side We Seldom Show  

5. Mirror  

6. Really Wanted You  

7. Medley: Bubble Gum The Blues / I'm A Cruiser  

8. Love Will Stone You  

9. Golden Child Of God  

10. Take You Far Away  

Disc 2B: FAREWELL TO PARADISE (ABC/Dunhill DSX-50122, 1973)

1. Warm Self Sacrifice  

2. See No Evil  

3. Drawn To You  

4. Blue Horizon  

5. Shoot the Moon  

6. Only Lovers Decide  

7. Trust One More  

8. Nights Are Lonely  

9. Bad Man  

10. In Desperate Need  

11. Those That Die (From Tame The Lion)  

12. Farewell to Paradise  

Disc 2C: Non-LP single (ABC/Dunhill 4315, 1972)

1. Tame The Lion

Singer songwriter finds a new way to get her tunes heard.

By Blurt Staff

It's kinda awkward, and kinda sweet, and a whole lotta tuneful: that's the song "You Said No To Prom," by L.A. singer-songwriter Elizaveta Khripounova, whose breezy-yet-plaintive vocal and laid-back jazz-pop style invests the tune with just the right balance of power and restraint. What's interesting is that Elizaveta chose to debut the timely song - it is prom season in America, after all - not via the standard channels, but as an online video through an unusual alliance with mega-shoe company Converse.

In the vid, Elizaveta is depicted alternately in a classroom daydreaming and scribbling in her notebook, and in the lunch room serenading a guy who turned down her request to go to the pom with her. (There's also a quirky moment when she's in the men's bathroom playing her guitar while they guy is taking a whizz in the urinal.) Oh, and throughout, she's also wearing - big surprise - pink Converse hightops. Yet aside from the corporate logo that displays onscreen, that's the only instance of product placement, and it's easy enough to just get drawn into the tune itself. It doesn't feel like an ad, and it's not intended as such, either.

"Converse is dedicated to being a catalyst for creativity in the worlds of music, sport, art and fashion," said Geoff Cottrill, Chief Marketing Officer for Converse, in a statement. "We also like to entertain and surprise fans of our brand. Elizaveta is a tremendous talent and we're excited to provide a vehicle for her originality in this sweet but unusual tale of prom-time angst."

Go HERE to view the video.

Elizaveta, whose father was a well-known Soviet diplomat in the times of the Cold War, was born in New York, where her parents were stationed at the United Nations, and grew up in Moscow, Russia, playing piano but refusing to learn how to figure-skate. She left home in her teens and in the process has traveled across Europe, learned Italian and French, graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in opera performance and learned how to drive a stick-shift and ride a motorcycle.

You may have already heard her, in fact: her previous releases include Breakfast with Chopin, which was a songwriting tribute to her favorite classical composers, such as Beethoven, Chopin and Tchaikovsky. It was followed up by Like Water, the title track of which was featured in the Sony Pictures film The House Bunny.

Elizaveta currently lives in LA, but says she dreams of moving to New York City, scoring a Japanese anime and buying a used Harley Davidson Sportster. In the meantime, she writes a lot of poetry and is recording a new album.  For more information, visit www.elizaveta.net.

And a two-headed Dwarves figure is next! WTF!?!

By Blurt Staff

Scum rockers unite! Aggronautix is set to release limited-edition figures of GG Allin "1991" (2000 numbered) and Tesco Vee of the Meatmen (1000 numbered). Each "Throbblehead" figure stands at 7 inches tall, is made of a lightweight polyresin, and will be displayed in a tri-windowed box.

Both figures will be distributed by MVD Entertainment Group - a company specializing in music-related distribution since 1986 - and DKE Toys - a wholesale distributor of urban / vinyl / designer art / objects / toys / figurines.

 
"We normally don't carry bobbleheads but I was floored that the folks at Aggronautix would attempt this project," said Dov Kelemer CEO of DKE Toys. "I figured that if I broke down and made an exception to actually put this (anti-)bobblehead in my collection that others would feel the same. GG Allin... WTF!?!?!?!"

 
The idea first surfaced two years ago when Aggronautix pitched the GG figure idea to Merle Allin, GG's brother.
 

"I had been thinking about doing a GG figure for a while, so when the guys came to me with the idea, I was into it," said Allin. "The proofing process took a long time, but we got it right. The doll looks really good and I'm happy with it."
 

Aggronautix soon discovered another likely personality to polyresinate, Tesco Vee. He states, "As a toy collector of two decades, and classic bobble head collector, imagine just how geeked I became, when informed that yours truly would enter the pantheon of 'Throbblehead' punk rock losers, along with poopy soulmate GG Allin!"
 

The figures are now available for purchase on http://www.aggronautix.com and http://www.seeofsound.com will soon be available at many independent retailers, comic shops, tattoo parlors, etc.
 

Aggronautix is currently working on a Dwarves "Two-Headed Throbble" to be released this summer.

First album for New West.

By Blurt Staff

Even as he gears up for this fall's Mott the Hoople reunion, erstwhile Mott frontman Ian Hunter is prepping his next solo album. Due July 21, it's the followup to 2007's Shrunken Heads and marks his debut for New West Records.

Man Overboard is Ian Hunter's 13th solo album since his eponymous debut in 1975.  Recorded in late 2008 in Pawling, NY, the 11-song set was produced by Andy York (veteran guitarist for John Mellencamp) and Ian Hunter and features a backing band comprising Steve Holley on drums and percussion (Wings, Joe Cocker), Paul Page on bass (Dion), Jack Petruzzelli on electric guitar (Rufus Wainwright, Joan Osbourne), James Mastro on electric guitar (Patti Smith, John Cale), Andy Burton on piano and organ (The Db's) and Producer Andy York on guitar and backing vocals. Many of the band members are returning from the Shrunken Heads sessions. 

 Regarding Man Overboard, Ian Hunter stated, "When we did Shrunken Heads, I felt like we had a good thing going so I wanted to revisit the experience before anything changed, and that's what we did." 

Track Listing:

1. The Great Escape
2. Arms and Legs
3. Up and Running
4. Man Overboard
5. Babylon Blues
6. Girl From the Office
7. Flowers
8. These Feelings
9. Win It All
10. Way With Words
11. River of Tears

In the studio with producer Nigel Godrich.

By Fred Mills

The BBC reported yesterday that Radiohead has been in the studio again with longtime producer Nigel Godrich working on a followup to In Rainbows. According to bassist Colin Greenwood, sessions last week were "very noisy and chaotic and really fun. It's at the stage where we've got the big Lego box out and we've tipped it out on the floor and we're just looking at all the bits and thinking what's next?

"I'm very impressed and grateful for Nigel our producer and his ability to make it all sound vaguely plausible."

No word yet on title, ETA or for that matter anything, but at least everyone's having fun. The band will be doing selected festivals this summer in between, presumably, recording. Memo to band: dumping all your Legos on the floor - as anyone who has a kid will tell you - is not generally conducive to the orderly creation of something; most folks ultimately have to sort everything by color and/or size in order to make sense of it all. But hey, sometimes chaos is good.

Meanwhile, speaking of Legos.... That video of Radiohead's "House Of Cards," done Lego style...

Now THAT is one perky looking gal! What's she pitchin'?

By Blurt Staff

Here at BLURT we get a lot of pitches from record industry folks - maybe something like 300 emails come in each day (not all of them come from needy, neurotic BLURT writers, in other words, if you catch our drift). However, we think this is the first time we've ever gotten a pitch about being pitched. We can't decide if the email copied below is beyond the pale, or simply reason to crack open our sixth pale ale of the day....

Incidentally, the website referenced is a hoot. Look up folks by state to see if you spot any of your buddies listed. While at first glance we don't spot too many music biz p.r. flacks, well... BLURT could definitely use some extra publicity - our second print magazine is due out shortly, in fact - so... we're lookin'!

Oh, and the answers to the questions posed are, in order: yes, rarely, no.

BLURT: still making ourselves persona non grata at the 2010 SXSW, one email at a time...

***

Dear Blurt,

Do you think of each and every publicist as a pesky spammer who wastes your time with untargeted pitches? Or have some of them become valuable assets in your work, suggesting timely, targeted and well-research story ideas?

If you've benefited from ideas or research done by some publicists, may I suggest returning a favor by sending me a short testimonial for inclusion in www.AllPublicists.com, a new nationwide database of publicists and a client of my? Your testimonials will help many companies differentiate between publicists who know what media professionals are looking for and those who irritate you with untargeted pitches. We are publicists ourselves and we believe that it's high time to sort the wheat from the chaff in our profession.

AllPublicists.com is a free service just launched by KMGi, an internationally acclaimed Internet technologies company. Currently its database contains detailed information on over 2,000 publicists but don't feel restricted by it. Simply include the name, the URL, and if you have it handy, the contact info of the publicist and our client will add them to the database.

If you like the concept and think that it deserves a mention in your publication, please let us know if you need any additional information.  

Sincerely,

[name deleted to protect the innocent]

Admirable attempt to up the profile of the late singer-songwriter.

By Blurt Staff

On September 22, American Dust will release CRAYON ANGEL: A TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF JUDEE SILL, featuring new recordings by artists including Beth Orton, Bill Callahan, Ron Sexsmith, Final Fantasy, Nicolai Dunger, Marisa Nadler & Black Hole Infinity, Colossal Yes (with members of Six Organs of Admittance and Comets on Fire), Meg Baird, Frida Hyvönen, and Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear and Department of Eagles. (See full track list below.)

Judee Sill was the first artist signed to David Geffen's Asylum Records and released two cherished cult LPs, 1971's Judee Sill and 1973's Heart Food, before vanishing from the music scene and eventually dying of a drug overdose in North Hollywood, California in 1979. Though forgotten for years, her music has enjoyed a period of rediscovery since her two studio albums were reissued on CD in 2005.

In addition to cover versions of songs from Judee's modest recorded output, Crayon Angel also features a pair of previously unheard Sill songs for which sheet music, but no known original recordings, survive. Beth Orgon brings to life the complex and lovely "Reach for the Sky," while Bill Callahan records the epic slow-burn number "Like a Rainbow," a co-write with Judee's onetime boyfriend Lal Baum (great-grandson of Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum).

Tracklisting:

01 Ron Sexsmith: "Crayon Angel"
02 Beth Orton: "Reach for the Sky"
03 Daniel Rossen: "Waterfall"
04 Frida Hyvönen: "Jesus Was a Cross Maker"
05 Shalants: "Lopin Along Thru the Cosmos"
06 Final Fantasy: "The Donor"
07 Nicolai Dunger: "Soldier of the Heart"
08 Trembling Blue Stars: "Lady-O"
09 Colossal Yes: "The Phoenix"
10 Marissa Nadler & Black Hole Infinity: "The Kiss"
11 Princeton: "Down Where the Valleys Are Low"
12 The Bye Bye Blackbirds: "There's a Rugged Road"
13 Meg Baird: "When the Bridegroom Comes"
14 Bill Callahan: "For a Rainbow"
15 P.G. Six: "Til Dreams Come True"

Fall Out Boy, Sugarland, OneRepublic, Death Cab For Cutie, Josh Groban, Jackson Browne and Billy Idol among the shows.

By Blurt Staff

The ground breaking primetime music television series, Soundstage has announced its seventh and 2009 summer season. The season will begin airing nationally on PBS on June 18 with a performance by Jackson Browne.  Airing through July, the summer season includes one-hour performances by Fall Out Boy, OneRepublic, Sugarland, Death Cab For Cutie (Ben Gibbard, pictured above), Billy Idol, and Josh Groban.

"We are so fortunate to have attracted such a diverse group of artists for the seventh season of Soundstage," says Joe Thomas, producer/director, Soundstage. "I think more and more musicians are realizing that coming on our show gives them the rare opportunity to solely perform their best work in an intimate setting, for TV."

Over the years, Soundstage, the innovative and prestigious program achieved widespread critical acclaim and featured the artists that defined the era, including Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Al Green, the Doobie Brothers, Harry Chapin, Dionne Warwick, the Temptations, and Kenny Loggins, among others. Since Soundstage was reintroduced in 2003, performers have included the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Joss Stone, Wilco, Sonic Youth, the All American Rejects, KT Tunstall, Train, Alison Kraus, Alanis Morissette, Alan Jackson, and more.

Soundstage returned to PBS with Thomas at the helm. Partnering with WTTW, Thomas and his production company specializing in combining high-definition television and cutting-edge surround sound gave Soundstage a state-of-the-art makeover. Thomas' concept was to combine the singular musical performances of the original show with an ultra modern stage boasting innovative 5.1 audio and hi-def visual technologies. 

The majority of the concerts are filmed before small studio audiences, at WTTW's Grainger Studio in Chicago. However, for the seventh season, Soundstage has veered away from its usual format filming Josh Groban's performance in the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Check the official website (http://www.pbs.org/wttw/soundstage) for more details.

***

Here's the breakdown of shows:

Jackson Browne: June 18: Rock's poet laureate, Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. Browne delivers a remarkable performance during his Soundstage set featuring tracks from his latest studio release, Time the Conqueror, such as the album's title track and "Drums of War," as well as hits from his previous 11 studio albums, "Doctor My Eyes," and "Boulevard."

OneRepublic: June 25: Grammy-nominated OneRepublic, whose sound features prominent piano riffs and anthemic pop/rock melodies, displays boundless energy throughout this episode of Soundstage. Offering rousing performances of hit singles "Apologize," "Stop and Stare," "Say (All I Need)" and "Mercy." The set also includes tracks from their debut CD Dreaming Out Loud, along with a fantastic version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy."

Sugarland: July 2:  Jennifer Nettles' voice can hold its own in any setting, but exceeds expectations alongside partner Kristian Bush's mandolin strumming at the Grainger Studio. During this sensational hour, Sugarland presents a versatile set that gains momentum with each song. "Joey" is heartbreakingly sincere; "Everyday America" reveals strong, twangy vocals while broken-down acoustics give "Stay" a more traditional country sound. Their forte is to effortlessly transition from energetic pop songs to heartfelt, soulful ballads without skipping a beat. The dynamic duo also present older classics like "Baby Girl" and even venture into covers of R.E.M to pay homage to shared Atlanta roots during their set.

Death Cab For Cutie: July 9: Indie rock favorite turned major label sensation Death Cab for Cutie presents an impeccable set on this episode of Soundstage.  Lead vocalist Ben Gibbard's cozy voice has an engaging quality that ropes you in on songs from their new EP The Open Door, 2008 studio album Narrow Stairs and highlights from their prolific catalog. Don't miss their performance of "I Will Possess Your Heart," "The Sound of Settling," "Cath" and many others!

Billy Idol: July 16: 80's rock icon, Billy Idol takes Soundstage by storm with a fast-paced, intense, pulsating, and exciting show.  Idol presents a high-energy rock and roll blowout with classic hits like "Dancing with Myself," "Rebel Yell" and "White Wedding."

Fall Out Boy: July 23: With their stadium rock riffs and anthem choruses, Chicago-based Fall Out Boy offers up unparalleled energy in this Soundstage set. Vocalist/guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, drummer Andy Hurley and guitarist Joe Trohman make up the perfect pop punk quartet. Amidst bass twirling, drum solos, and roaring power chords, Stump delivers strong vocals from start to finish, ricocheting to falsetto and back on recent hits "America's Suitehearts" and "I Don't Care." Other show highlights include "Dance, Dance," "Sugar, We're Goin Down," and "Thnks fr the Mmrs."

Josh Groban: July 30: "Josh Groban, An Evening in New York City":

An internationally renowned performer who has sold more than 23 million albums worldwide, Josh Groban has thrilled a legion of devoted fans with his flawless baritone and extraordinary stage presence. Performed in the intimate setting of the Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, this exhilarating program includes favorites from his best-selling albums, including "Alla Luce del Sole," "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" and "February Song." The concert features guest appearances by award winning trumpeter Chris Botti who joins Groban in performing "Broken Vow" and master musician Herbie Hancock who plays the keyboard for "Machine."

Kinda like the Grateful Dead's Europe '72 album, but different! Or maybe we're thinking Animal Collective...

By Blurt Staff

Coming to a trend near you: triple albums. Yes, it's back to the ‘70s in the indierock world, and leading the pack is Oneida. We don't just mean three-LP sets that can still be squeezed onto one and a half CDs: we mean three-CD sets. (That can mean, in some instances, as much as 240 minutes, if you do the math, but Oneida's trying to keep things relatively under control - seee the tracklisting, below.

Rated O is the second installment of Oneida's Thank Your Parents triptych of releases. In August of 2008, Oneida released the first installment, Preteen Weaponry, and now, Rated O, the centerpiece of the Thank Your Parents trilogy, is due fro Jagjaguwar on July 7^th.

Here's some additional skinny, straight from the band...

***

Today we are not only proud to announce this triple album, but also to share a new podcast in which members of Oneida provide commentary, insight, and explanations into the inner-workings of the O.  This podcast, produced by Alex Goldman, contains three songs, "What's Up, Jackal?", "I Will Haunt You", and "Saturday".  We know Jagjaguwar hasn't updated ye olde podcaste in a while, but we are making up for it!!!  Discover why Rated O is like drinking a 50 gallon drum of molé sauce, how you can figure out when something is "rated O" (hint: you only realize something is "rated O" until "way later"), and under what circumstances Showtime (Shahin Motia of Ex-Models) joined the band.

Download The Rated O Podcast in Itunes

A Rated O sampler that contains those songs (minus commentary) is now available for free via Emusic and for purchase on Itunes.

Selections from Rated O on Emusic

Selections from Rated O on Itunes

Tracklisting:

DISC 1 (SIDES A & B):
Brownout In Lagos
What's Up, Jackal?
10:30 at the Oasis
Story of O
The Human Factor

DISC 2 (SIDES C & D):
The River
I Will Haunt You
The Life You Preferred
Ghost in the Room
Saturday
It Was a Wall
Luxury Travel

DISC 3 (SIDES E & F):

O

End of Time

Folk Wisdom

Oneida live:

07/10/09 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
07/11/09 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill   w/ Wood Shjips and Jonas Reinhardt
07/12/09 Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex   w/ Amps For Christ and Clipd Beaks
07/24/09 Brooklyn, NY - Todd P Event - TBA   w/ Sunburned Hand Of Man
07/25/09 Medford, MA - Outside the Lines Studio   w/ Sunburned Hand Of Man + Big Bear
07/26/09 New Haven, CT - BAR   w/ Sunburned Hand Of Man

08/07/09 Kutna Hora (Czech Republic), Art Festival
08/08/09 Berlin (Germany), Berlin Festival
08/09/09 Scheer (Germany), Klangbad Festival
08/14/09 Amsterdam (Netherlands), Paradiso
08/15/09 Tilburg (Netherlands)

Garage grooviness from Brazil.

By Blurt Staff

Vintage equipment + analog recording gear + sixties-influenced garage glory: must be a choice title from the Get Hip label, eh? Coming to an indie record store near you right about now is Os Haxixins by Os Haxixins, Brazilian garage done up right - think Music Machine, Standells, Nuggets, etc. - and performed in Portuguese and English. Check out one of the most fucked-up videos ever filmed, below.

Born and raised in the "Lost Zone" (or "Zona Lost"), a pun on their tamed neighboorhood's name in São Paulo, Brazil (Zona Leste, a.k.a East Zone, a Brazilian equivalent to NYC's Bronx), Os Haxixins  are probably the most obscure and ill-fated band in the city's garage-rock scene. Influenced by hard to find 60's records, garage punk and psychedelia, the long time friends Sir Uly (drums) and Fábio (guitar) decided to come up with a repertoire based "only on fuzz pedal and guts", according to Sir Uly himself, after a non-succesfull experience in a band called the Merry Pranksters.

The name Os Haxixins  came after they joined bass-player Daniel and organ player Alôpra, inspired on the article "Le Club des Hachichin", published by French poet and novelist Théophile Gautier in 1846, which spawned a group formed by French intellectuals such as Baudelaire, Delacroix and Gautier, among others, dedicated to the exploration of drug-induced experiences, notably with hashish. The text is available in the hard to find book "Récits Fantastiques" (translated in portuguese as "Clube dos Haxixins"). The meetings that took place in Pimodan House (Hotel Lauzun), Paris, in which this Parisian society dwelt, and that's the kind of stuff Os Haxixins  identify with.

Besides the slick 60s thrift store outfits, they only play on old vintage equipment, which they bravely drag to their gigs. The band also enjoys the projection of psychedelic lights during their shows to help create the atmosphere. Playing around since 2003, they've performed in all kinds of dives and underground clubs in the city of São Paulo.

After almost giving up the idea of recording an album, due to the difficulty of getting someone capable of capturing that sound of yesterdays, they were finally endorsed by Berlin Estúdio owners and produced by one of them, Jonas Serodio (from the Brazilian Sellouts, The Drugs, Thee Butcher's Orchestra and The Blackneedles) on reel-to-reel tape, achieving the desired result. The glorious sound its surpassed by the songwriting talents of all band members, which crafted original songs, all sang in Portuguese except for one, and there's also a cover, the frantic version of the garage classic "Dirty Old Man."

Track Listing:

1- Onde Meditar 
2 - Dirty Old Man 

3 - Depois Eu Volto

4 - Surgia Por Sobre À Relva

5 - E Se As Pedras Caírem 

6 - Davi & Seus Lírios 

7 - Em Algum Lugar Da Mente
8 - Raios

9 - Viagem Às Cavernas

10 - Preciso Te Deixar 

11 - In The Deep End

12 - Àlgumas Milhas Daqui

13 - Atrás De Espaçonaves

14 - Voltei Demente
15 - Ácido Fincado
16 - Please Forget Me

Tour Dates:

CABARET MAXIME - Lisboa Lisboa, PORTUGAL

ARMANZÉN DO CHÁ - Porto Porto, PORTUGAL

LA BRUTA FEST- Coruña A Coruña, SPAIN

GRUTA 77 - Madrid  Madrid, SPAIN

BILBAO CLUB BULLIT Bilbao, SPAIN

SANTANDER SALA HEAVEN Santander, SPAIN

Sala mercantil - Badajoz Badajoz, SPAIN

SEVILLA SALA OBBIO + DEL SHAPIROS Sevilla, SPAIN

Who Rock Bar Granada, SPAIN

SALA LA DUTXA - SANT CARLES DE LA RÁPITA (TARRAGON) Tarragona, SPAIN

Cafè del Teatre Lleida, SPAIN

SALA MONASTERIO - BARCELONA Barcelona, SPAIN

PRIMITIVE FESTIVAL - Rotterdan Holland Rotterdam, HOLLAND

Video for "Preciso te deixar":

That's funny, you don't look like a punk!

By Blurt Staff

When: Thursday, June 11th - 7pm
Where: The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (15 West 16th St, NYC)
Who: Tommy Ramone, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Lenny Kaye, and Chris Stein
What: A discussion on the glorious heyday of New York punk and the impact their Jewish experience had on their music
Cost: $18 for the general public, $12 for students

New York City is universally acknowledged and rightly revered as the cradle of punk rock civilization. But it is safe to say that few are aware that many of punk's progenitors were Jewish - kids from the outer boroughs and far beyond who settled in Manhattan's East Village and forged a new world of sound, fury and humor at CBGB's and other downtown bars and clubs.

Much like their American and European Jewish forebears, these pioneer punks both reflected and redefined the culture of their day heritage to create a dynamic new art form. In the process, they birthed an aesthetic that continues to influence not only music but the visual arts, literature, fashion and language.

In this forum, four Jewish punk rock fathers - Ramones founder and original drummer Tommy Ramone (born Tamas Erdelyi), Dictators singer and radio personality Handsome Dick Manitoba (Richard Blum), Patti Smith guitarist and journalist Lenny Kaye, and Blondie co-founder and guitarist Chris Stein - will convene at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (15 W. 16th St in NYC) on Thursday, June 11th, to discuss the glorious heyday of New York punk, the arc of their individual careers, and the impact their Jewish experience has had on their music.

* Curated by Guitar World Magazine editor Richard Bienstock, this event is open to the public. All panelists, including Bienstock and YIVO's Harold Steinblatt are available for interviews.

To purchase tickets, visit:
www.smarttix.com or call 212-868-4444

For more information, visit:

www.yivo.org

And Cate Blanchett is not Dylan at all, either. Who knew!

By Fred Mills

With the rock community all abuzz of late regarding a handwritten poem from the mid ‘50s by one Bobby Zimmerman - as reported in the media, the "Little Buddy" poem written for The Herzl Herald (the newspaper of a Wisconsin camp where the future Bob Dylan was attending) surfaced and is currently being auctioned by Christie's until June 23 - everyone had a bit of a comedown yesterday when it was discovered that "Little Buddy" actually hailed from the pen of country legend Hank Snow.

Rolling Stone certainly noticed the error, and put in a call to Christies, who after a pregnant hesitation, issued a  statement:

"Additional information has come to our attention about the handwritten poem submitted by Bob Dylan to his camp newspaper, written when he was 16, entitled ‘Hank Snow'. The words are in fact a revised version of lyrics of a Hank song."

This puts the estimated auction take of $10,000 - $15,000 in question now, although Christie's, attempting to put a positive spin on things so as not to queer the deal too much, added in the statement, "This still remains among the earliest known handwritten lyrics of Bob Dylan."

Meanwhile, there's absolutely no truth to the rumor that David Crosby's liver is being flogged on eBay at the moment....

Not just an excuse to run a hot photo of Lewis: The Licks' frontperson takes the bull by the horn and does a project with the Mars Volta dude.

By Blurt Staff

Ass-kicking rocker (and erstwhile ass-kicking actress) Juliette Lewis, who has a new album titled Terra Incognita due in September on The End Records, is gearing up for a summer tour opening for none other than The Pretenders and Cat Power. Meow! Sit back and watch the Juliette, Chrissie and Chan fur fly!

Dates are to be announced very soon. No word yet whether Lewis will be backed by her touring band the Licks.

The album (samples already at her MySpace page) was cut with Lewis and Omar Ropdriguez-Lopez of the Mars Volta, who she met in 2007 at the Fuji Rock Festival. Upon hitting it off, they worked on it on-and-off, along with Lewis' co-writer, Chris Watson, at Rodriguez-Lopez's studio in Brooklyn NY and Guadalajara Mexico.

"This album is so sonically different than anything I've done before and captures many flavors of my emotional life and voice," said Lewis, in a press release. It took me five years to really cut my teeth both as a performer and as a songwriter and I wanted to break all the habits I'd gotten used to and let songs develop out of a groove or simple piano notes and melody."

Album drops July 28 amid mucho road work.

By Blurt Staff

BLURT fave Gov't Mule has completed work on 'By A Thread'. Their first studio album in three years, it is slated for release on July 28th, with a special presale beginning today at www.mule.net.

Now a quartet, lead by lead guitarist and frontman Warren Haynes, joined by drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis and new bassist Jorgen Carlsson, the band is planning a full-scale summer of activity, with nearly 40 dates in the U.S. alone, to be followed by additional touring plans in the fall.

Recorded largely in the Texas Hill Country at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studio in 2009, the album's origins are apparent from the first track, "Broke Down On The Brazos," named after the nearby river, with a deep Texas stomp for the backbeat and featuring the trademark guitar-work of ZZ Top founder Billy Gibbons. Perhaps less descriptively named, "Steppin' Lightly" is another burner, set off by the soulful vocals and mind-bending guitar work of Haynes, who proves anew why Rolling Stone named him one of the Top 25 guitarists of all time.

"This record feels like we're moving between the future and the past," says Haynes. "At heart, it feels like we're breaking new ground without forgetting our roots."

Other highlights include the lament "Railroad Boy," informed by both Celtic tradition and the Mississippi Delta; the expansive psych-rock of 'Monday Mourning Meltdown"; and the optimistic 'Frozen Fear," with its lush harmony and even a hint of rocksteady skank.

A full slate of summer dates for the Mule have already been announced, with stops including Bonnaroo and Haynes' own Mountain Jam festival at the end of May, with additional dates planned for September and beyond. Check the Mule website for tour itineraries.



Track Listing:

1. Broke Down On The Brazos 6:19
2. Steppin' Lightly 7:10
3. Railroad Boy 5:03
4. Monday Mourning Meltdown 8:08
5. Gordon James 3:48
6. Any Open Window 4:45
7. Frozen Fear 5:48
8. Forevermore 4:17
9. Inside Outside Woman Blues #3 9:04
10. Scenes From A Troubled Mind 723
11. World Wake Up 5:54

Now THAT is one perky looking gal! Who's she representin'?

By Blurt Staff

Here at BLURT we get a lot of correspondence from industry folks - maybe something like 300 emails come in each day (not all of them come from needy, neurotic BLURT writers, in other words, if you catch our drift). However, we think this is the first time we've every gotten a invitation to help out lawyers - by our reckoning, the legal profession is responsible for 9/10 of the crap that goes on in the music biz! So we can't decide if the email copied below is beyond the pale, or simply reason to crack open our sixth pale ale of the day....

Incidentally, the website referenced is a hoot. Look up folks to see if you recognize the names of local shylocks, or, better, someone whose rep you'd like to scorch.

Oh, and the answers to the questions posed below are, in order: yes, no, yes.

BLURT: still making ourselves persona non grata at the 2010 SXSW, one email at a time...

***

Dear Blurt,

Have you ever needed to retain an attorney? If so, was he or she worth the money, or did the whole experience help you understand why so many people dislike lawyers?

Either way, you should share your insight with others. I invite you to post your thoughts at LawyersReputation.com, a free service which helps people find lawyers who will keep their clients satisfied and avoid the other 99% who give the profession a bad name.

Please visit the site and, if you think it's a beneficial service that deserves a mention in your publication, let us know if you need any additional information.  

Sincerely,

[name deleted]

Massive 30-track compilation will benefit the Make It Right Foundation.

By Blurt Staff

STS9's boutique record label, 1320 Records, offers up STS9's Peaceblaster : The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes featuring 30 artists including Pretty Lights, The Glitch Mob, Count Bass D, Richard Devine, Eskmo, Alex B., Ronald Jenkees and many more. 100% of the album's proceeds will go to benefit the Make It Right Foundation. It's a mixologist's response to the band's recent studio album Peaceblaster and  will be available at www.1320records.com and at iTunes beginning June 23. See full tracklisting, below.

All of the artists featured on STS9's Peaceblaster : The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes, and even the majority of the behind-the-scenes business services required to put the album together, donated their contributions to the project. 100% of the album's proceeds will go to the Make It Right Foundation, who has been chosen by the band to be the sole beneficiary of all of STS9's 2009 charity programs. It is the band's goal - with the support of their fan community and the involvement of the Make It Right Foundation - to build a home in New Orleans, raising money via the Peaceblaster : The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes album proceeds, a $1 charity donation on every STS9 concert ticket sold during 2009, special STS9 charity raffles, and other initiatives throughout the year still to be announced.

For over a decade the band has rallied their community of fans around important causes, and in the past two years alone the band raised over $150,000.00 to benefit a variety of charities including Rock Against Cancer, Make It Right Foundation, Yellow Ribbon Fund, Conscious Alliance, Global Education Fund, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, Mariposa's Art, Headcount, Samaritan House, and others.

Make It Right is committed to building 150 sustainable, affordable homes in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward, incorporating high-quality design and construction while preserving the spirit of the community's culture.   The Lower 9th Ward was one of the most devastated areas of New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina. Brad Pitt, Make It Right's Founder, hopes that this project will be a catalyst for recovery and redevelopment throughout the Lower 9th Ward and across the city of New Orleans.  www.makeitrightnola.org for more information.    

Tracklisting:

1.    Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist (Lazer Sword Remix)
2.    Shock Doctrine (Eskmo Remix)
3.    Empires (Big Gigantic Remix)
4.    Beyond Right Now (The Glitch Mob Remix)
5.    Shock Doctrine (Welder Remix)
6.    STS9 vs Prefuse 73 (Megaloid MPC Vet Mixxx)
7.    First Rays of the New Soma Sunrise (Calmer Remix)
8.    Oh Little Brain (Bluetech 'Spaze Gaze Mix')
9.    Metameme (Alex B  'Concepts Remix')
10.  Peaceblaster '68 (Telepath Remix)
11.  The Spectacle (Ott Remix)
12.  ReGeneration (John Hughes Remix)
13.  The Spectacle (Richard Devine Remix)
14.  Empires (Nosaj Thing Remix)
15.  The Last 50,000 Years (Deru Remix)
16.  Beyond Right Now (Pretty Lights Remix)
17.  Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist (The Flying Skulls Feat. Abstract Rude   Remix)
18.  Peaceblaster (sub-ID 'Stay Blastin '88 Remix')
19.  Shock Doctrine (Eliot Lipp & Leo 123 'Dark Party Remix')
20.  Late for Work (Count Bass D Remix)
21.  The New Soma (Daedelus Remix)
22.  Peaceblaster '08 (Captain Crunk Remix)
23.  The New Soma (Bass Science Remix)
24.  Oh Little Brain (Metrognome 'On the Sea Remix')
25.  Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist (Da Ticklah Remix)
26.  Shock Doctrine (Dharmatronix Remix)
27.  Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist (Lowpro Lounge Feat. Lateef & Souleye '$700 Billion         Remix')
28.  Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist/Beyond Right Now (GFE 'Put it Back Together Remix')
29.  Beyond Right Now (Ronald Jenkees Remix)
30.  Late for Work (Pnuma Trio Remix)

STS9 Tour Dates:

June 3-5 Wakarusa Ozark AR
July 1 Summerfest Milwaukee WI
July 2-5 ROTHBURY Rothbury MI
July 10-12 All Good Festival Masontown WV 
July 16-18 Camp Bisco Mariaville NY
July 24 Fillmore Auditorium Denver CO     
July 25 Red Rocks Morrison CO "Day Out of Time" Celebration    
August 7-8 Lollapalooza Chicago IL
August 21 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA w/ special guests TBA    
August 22 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Atlanta GA  w/ Ghostland Observatory, Lotus and    DubConscious
September 4 The Bottom Line Nagoya Japan
September 5 Metamorphose Festival Izu Japan 
September 6 Poka Stadium Kashiwa City Japan
September 25-27 Earthdance Festival Laytonville CA
October 2-5 Austin City Limits Music Festival Austin TX
January 2 Revolution Live Ft. Lauderdale, FL
January 3-8  Jam Cruise 2010

Tour started today as well....

By Blurt Staff

In honor of the new Eating Us album that drops next week - watch for a BLURT review soon - loony indiepsychedelicist noismakers Black Moth Super Rainbow want to show some love for the remaining independent record stores out there. To that end the band has created 1600 hairy Eating Us CDs which will be sold in ten different retail stores across the country, as well through their label Graveface Records' website (http://graveface.com ) and other online outlets.

Retail stores include all three Reckless Records in Chicago, IL Underground Sounds in Louisville, KY, Good Records in Dallas, TX, Landlocked Music in Bloomington, IN, Grimey's New + Preloved Music in Nashville, TN, Park Ave CDs in Orlando, FL, Sonic Boom Records - Capitol Hill in Seattle, WA and Aquarius Records in San Francisco, CA. Go out and support ‘em.

And just to make sure you when you do hit the shops, Black Moth Super Rainbow has also created insanely awesome and completely unique in-store stands, some of which are up to 4 feet in height, to display these limited-edition hairy CDs. No two stands are the same.

Each copy of the limited-edition hairy version of Black Moth Super Rainbow's Eating Us, comes with a download card which immediately triggers an mp3 download of the "Born on a Day" demo and entry into the hairy CD contest. There will be three contest winners picked sometime in late June!

1st Prize: A hairy stand for the winner's house plus a BMSR test pressing
2nd Prize: The available back catalog from Graveface Records
3rd Prize: A signed copy of Eating Us

Tour Dates:

Thu.   May 21    Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon w/ School of Seven Bells
Fri.     May 22    Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club w/ School of Seven Bells
Mon.  May 25    Quincy, WA @ Sasquatch Festival
Tue.    May 26    Portland, OR @ Holocene w/ School of Seven Bells
Thu.   May 28    San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill w/ School of Seven Bells
Fri.     May 29    Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour w/ School of Seven Bells
Sat.     May 30   Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar w/ School of Seven Bells
Sun.   May 31    Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room w/ School of Seven Bells
Tue.   June 2     Austin, TX @ The Mohawk w/ School of Seven Bells
Wed.  June 3    Denton, TX @ Hailey's w/ School of Seven Bells
Thu.   June 4    Little Rock, AR @ Sticky Fingerz w/ School of Seven Bells
Fri.     June 5    Nashville, TN @ Exit/In w/ School of Seven Bells
Sat.     June 6    Columbus, OH @ Skully's w/ School of Seven Bells
Fri.     June 19   Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
Sat.     June 20  Birmingham, AL @ City Stages Music & Arts
Sun.    June 21   Newport, KY @ Southgate House
Sat.     June 27   Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
Tue.    June 30   Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
Fri.     July 24     New York, NY @ South Street Seaport - Seaport Music Festival, Pier 17
Sat.     July 25    Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas w/ Dan Friel
Sun.    July 26    Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Dan Friel
Mon.   July 27    Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar w/ Dan Friel

To coincide with the fall release of fifth studio album.

By Fred Mills

Billboard.com is reporting that Massive Attack has plans to launch a "huge" world tour to coincide with the release of their next album, tentatively titled Weather Underground,   due in October on Virgin. 40 dates have been confirmed in the UK and Europe, and according to the band's Robert "3D" Del Naja, the tour will ultimately rack up more than 150 nights once Asia and America are figured in to the equation.

"We'll do the U.K., Europe, then take Christmas off, and then go to Asia, into America and then we'll roll out to the festivals," he told Billboard. "When you get on a roll it's such a laugh. For Meltdown [Festival] last year we ended up doing about 40 shows all around eastern and southern Europe, it was really good fun. So I can imagine for this we'll end up doing maybe 150 gigs."

Several new songs were debuted in concert last year, among them "Red Light" and "All I Want," which Del Naja said were "well received. I think things are changing, I don't think people expect to hear an album they know and then go and hear it live, I think people are much more intelligent than that."

The last Massive Attack album was 2003's 100^th Window.

"A punk love story"... aww.....

By Fred Mills

Hey, remember that injunction that the estate of Dee Dee Ramone filed against the late bassist's former wife, Vera Ramone King, to prevent the publication of her memoir Poisoned Heart: I Married Dee Dee Ramone (The Ramones Years)? No? Hey, we don't either! What would be the point anyway - any publicity is good publicity for a dead musician, or more accurately, for anyone who stands to profit by renewed, if only a blip's worth, interest. Which such a book - a tell-all whereby King outlines the good, the bad and the very ugly aspects of having to live with a narcissist and junkie - would certainly do.

What we do remember is this absurd, over-the-top quote by King, speaking to Spinner awhile back, about Dee Dee's spirit apparently telling her to do the book:

"I was told by renowned chaneller Linda Drake that Dee Dee wanted me to write the book and tell the whole story. The good, the bad and the ugly truths. Several times during the writing of the book, I decided to stop because it was too painful for me to remember some of the incidents. Every time I said, 'I can't do this,' Linda would call me out of the blue within less than five minutes and ask if I was still writing the book."

Who the fuck is Linda Drake?

At any rate, word arrives that the New York Supreme Court has denied the injunction request, and Phoenix Books will now be able to go ahead with the June 2 publication of the King memoir. We've read the book and we also have a review of it set to go in the next issue of BLURT, and no, we ain't revealing anything, other than to say, well... hmmm... well, any Ramones-related story is bound to be fun, and King's tale is no exception (the above quote may ring some warning bells) but she probably shouldn't quit her day job as writing definitely ain't her calling...

Mending fences with guitarist James Williamson and making plans to get their cocks outta their pockets.

By Fred Mills

As we Twittered yesterday, Iggy Pop has disclosed to an Australian newspaper that he's had a meeting with guitarist James Williamson about putting together a version of The Stooges that would perform the 1973 album Raw Power. This in the aftermath of original guitarist Ron Asheton's death in January.

"There is always Iggy and the Stooges, the second growth of the band," said Iggy, referring to the Stooges Mk. II lineup that included Williamson. "I had a meeting in LA last week with James. It was the first time we had seen each other in 30 years. So we talked about doing something together. Raw Power would be the repertoire.''

Iggy indicated that the band would also include drummer Scott Asheton and bassist Mike Watt. He also added that there were a number of "hard driving rhythm tracks" in the can that Asheton recorded before his death, and they might wind up on future recordings.

As the Detroit Metro Times pointed out, Iggy and Williamson have been estranged for some time, so this marks an unusual twist in the always-interesting Stooges saga. (Asheton, for his part, refused to perform Raw Power material during the latterday reunion, although he was the bassist on the album.)

Opined the Metro Times, "Let's hope the repertoire might be kind enough to include a little Kill City and some of those non- Bowie singles and Metallica K.O. outtakes like "I Got A Right," "Rich Bitch" and "Cock In My Pocket" as well."

Indeed!

[Photo Credit: Robert Matheu]

"The remix possibilities are endless."

By Blurt Staff

The Cold War Kids' hyper-interactive new video, "I've Seen Enough," from the Loyalty to Loyalty album, debuted this week. The video, directed by Tool of North America's Sam Jones, (Wilco's I Am Trying to Break Your Heart), was designed specifically to be presented in parallel parts online and then remixed by fans, even mid-play - and is being released solely for the Web.

Music fans can visit www.oldwarkids.mtvmusic.com to experience the video, whose core feature is the four distinctly different versions of the song played by the band's four members. Each member was filmed on a darkly lit stage, playing their parts on vibraphone, guitar, bass, keyboard, standup bass, and more. These versions were recorded so the parts can be mixed together or played on their own.

Every change the fan makes happens in real time, including every stop, start, or mid-stream instrument change. Without skipping a beat, a fan can silence everything but the vocals and bring in the drums, or start with the full band, pull the keyboard and add the xylophone, or sweep away the standup bass at the last minute and cue the bass guitar for the song's closing notes. The remix possibilities are endless. The video is experienced in a more "full-screen" environment, truly allowing the viewer controlling the action from "inside" the studio, and it will be seamlessly weaved into the look and feel of the MTVMusic.com fabric.

"The idea was that fans would be able to create an interesting new variation of the track every time, a new listening experience," says director Sam Jones, of Tool. "Plus, it's just fun to play with - there are so many ways to mix the instruments and vocals, and so many chances to get creative."

[Photo Credit: Wignall]

Four discs, tons of rarities, "best ever" live recordings, and more. Wow.

By Fred Mills

Now this is a great way to start the holiday weekend off: with Big Star news.

Although the topic of the long-rumored Big Star box set has been cropping up on blogs and message boards for a couple of years, there's really been no official confirmation, leading to much speculation as to what might be included (e.g., what stuff has been lurking in the vaults of Ardent Studios). Even drummer Jody Stephens, in an interview earlier this year with RockSellOut.com, remained mum about the subject, as the following exchange highlights:

RockSellOut.com: Rhino Records is releasing a Big Star box set in 2009. Any insight of what's still in the vaults that will be shared?

Stephens: Don't really know what will be included. There was some interesting BS stuff on the Ardent Records Story.

Well, no confirmation until NOW.

Word already hit earlier this week, via Bruce Eaton's most excellent Big Star blog (Eaton is the author of the equally most excellent new 33 1/3 book on Big Star's Radio City), that Ardent's John Fry indicated that, indeed, a box was en route on September 15.

Today a source close to the project confirmed to BLURT that the box is definitely a "go" and is slated for a Sept. 15 release from Rhino.

Clocking in at four discs, the box (title not yet known) will reportedly cover the years 1968-75, which means that a number of pre-Big Star outfits the members - Stephens, Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel, and the late Chris Bell - were in will also be represented. The bulk of the actual Big Star material will comprise "mostly rarities and previously unreleased material," advises our source, material that, indeed, has been kept well away from prying eyes and ears in the Ardent vaults all these years.

There's also to be a good chunk of live material, including a Memphis concert circa 1972 or '73 shortly after Bell left the band, leaving Big Star to perform as a three-piece. "This might be the best-ever live recording" of the band, we're told, and it's worth noting that Bell's departure was apparently still fresh enough that the trio was still performing Bell-penned material, with Chilton handling vocals.

A fat book in the 100-page range, loaded with rare photos, natch, will round things out.

Worth noting is that there won't be massive overlap with the recently announced CD from Concord, a slightly expanded reissue of their Big Star twofer that contained the first two albums, Number One Record and Radio City, due June 16.

There's also talk of a related release from Rhino imprint Handmade for a limited edition expanded reissue of Bell's I Am The Cosmos solo collection. Originally compiled by Rykodisc for a posthumous CD release in 1992, it will reportedly be a two-CD set featuring outtakes and alternate versions.

An official announcement from Rhino is still forthcoming, but the news is expected to be announced early next week.

Gifted musician passes away Saturday night in his sleep.

By Fred Mills

"We are profoundly saddened to report that our friend died in his sleep last night. Jay was a beautiful human being who will be missed." Thus read a posting at the Undertow Records website yesterday, echoing the sentiments of music fans all across America. The Jay in question is Jay Walter Bennett; Undertow released the former Titanic Love Affair/Wilco member's critically acclaimed 2002 solo album Palace At 4am.

As word got out about the death of Bennett, 45, not too many details were known other than that Bennett died in his sleep Saturday night and that no official cause of death was known yet. An autopsy is pending. However, Bennett had been afflicted with chronic hip pain for some time, the result of sustaining an injury during a stage dive while performing with Titanic Love Affair, and he'd been planning on having hip replacement surgery.

In a report filed at the Chicago Sun-Times, pop critic Jim DeRogatis quoted Bennett's friend and oftentime collaborator Edward Burch as saying, "The family is in mourning and is unavailable for comment at this time... He was an extremely talented musician and a great person, and I'll miss him terribly." Burch added that he'd gotten word to Wilco through bandmember John Stirratt and the band, on tour in Spain, was "broken up" about the news.

An official statement from Wilco is forthcoming, although both Bennett and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy were in the news recently after Bennett filed a lawsuit against Tweedy alleging he was owed compensation from his 1994-2001 tenure in Wilco. A falling out between the two men led to Bennett's acrimonious departure from the band, and speculation among certain cynical pundits and bloggers was that Bennett, lacking health insurance, had filed the suit in order to raise funds to pay for his much-needed surgery.

Bob Boilen of NPR music penned a heartfelt goodbye to Bennett at the NPR site yesterday. In it, he included a post that Bennett had made to his MySpace blog in April outlining to fans what he'd been going through recently with his hip troubles and discussing his forthcoming album Kicking at the Perfumed Air.

"I will continue to stay as active as I possibly can, making music, and staying in touch with all of you (my friends), as the surgery approaches, and later, whilst I am recovering," worote Bennett. "Apologies for my absence, I honestly do care about staying true to my promise to maintain open and interactive relationships with all of you "out there," wherever you may be."

BLURT extends our deepest condolences to Bennett's family, friends and fans. He will be missed.

Neil, Bruce and Blurt, er, we mean, Blur will top the bill.

By Fred Mills

As previously announced, this year's Glastonbury Festival in England takes place June 26-28 at Worthy Farm. This morning the organizers revealed the full roster of performers:

THURSDAY JUNE 25

Queen's Head Stage:

Metronomy
Kap Bambino
Ebony Bones
Golden Silvers
Alessi's Ark
Liz Green
The Gentle Good
Charlene Soraia
Stornoway
We Have Band
Maximo Park

FRIDAY JUNE 26

Pyramid Stage:

Neil Young
The Specials
Lily Allen
Fleet Foxes
Special Guests
Regina Spektor
Gabrielle Cilmi
Bjorn Again

Other Stage:

Bloc Party
The Ting Tings
Lady GaGa
Friendly Fires
White Lies
The View
The Maccabees
The Rakes
The Whip
Mr Hudson

John Peel Stage:

Doves
Jamie T
Jack Penate
Little Boots
Metronomy
VV Brown
The Virgins
Fucked Up
Rumble Strips
Dan Black
General Fiasco

Jazz/World Stage:

Q Tip
The Streets
Steel Pulse
Lamb
Hot 8 Brass Band
Stephanie Mckay
Speed Caravan
The Perceptions
Rolf Harris
Warsaw Village Band

Acoustic Stage:

Ray Davies
Fairport Convention
Jason Mraz
Scott Matthews
No Crows
Hugh Cornwall
Ben Taylor
Sean Taylor
Alyssa Bonagura
John Smith

The Park Stage

Animal Collective
The Horrors
Noah And The Whale
Special Guests
Emiliana Torrini
Special Guests
James Hunter
Golden Silvers
Bishi
Lay Low

Queen's Head Stage:

Jason Mraz
The Big Pink
The Rakes
Rumble Strips
The Virgins
Dan Le Sac Vs Scoobius Pip
Tommy Sparks
The Low Anthem
Team Waterpolo
Hope And Social
Dead Like Harry
Yr Ods
City Stereo
The Mojo Fins
Maura Kincaid
The Slips
Sub Universe
Smash n' Grab

East Dance

David Guetta
Layo and Bushwacka!
Easy Star Allstars
Iration Steppas ft Mark Iration
Dreadzone
Tom Middleton
The Egg
Paul Woolford
Pama International

West Dance

Erol Alkan
Crookers
The Whip
Annie Mac
Skream And Benga
Whomadewho
Joe Goddard (Hot Chip)
DeepGroove
Nathan Detroit

Avalon Stage:

The Blockheads
British Sea Power
Michael McGoldrick, Iain Fletcher and Andy Dinan
The Puppini Sisters
3 Daft Monkeys
Baskery
The Mandibles

The Glade:

Tom Real
Beardyman with The Bays
James Monro
Banco de Gaia
Pathaan
Outmode
Mum Suleiman
Clive Craske

SATURDAY JUNE 27

Pyramid Stage:

Bruce Springsteen
Kasabian
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Dizzee Rascal
Spinal Tap
Eagles Of Death Metal
Tinariwen
VV Brown

Other Stage:

Franz Ferdinand
Pendulum
Maximo Park
Paolo Nutini
Peter Doherty
The Script
Jason Mraz
Metric
Peter, Bjorn and John
Broken Family Band

John Peel Stage:

Jarvis Cocker
White Lies
Florence And The Machine
Passion Pit
Gaslight Anthem
Hockey
The Temper Trap
Esser
The Big Pink
Baddies
The Nightingales

Jazz/World Stage:

Playing For Change
Baaba Maal
Lonnie Liston Smith
Jamie Cullum
Rokia Traore
Erik Truffaz

Acoustic Stage:

Kilfenorca Ceili Band
Tindersticks
Newton Faulkner
Lisa Hannigan
Gary Louris and Mark Olson
Lunasa
Bap Kennedy
Hope And Social
Stornoway
Cora Smyth Band

The Park Stage:

Bon Iver
M Ward
Special Guests
Shlomo and Guests
Horace Andy
Easy Star Allstars
The Memory Band
Bombay Bicycle Club
The Low Anthem
First Aid Kit

Queen's Head Stage:

Guilty Pleasures
Dan Black
The King Blues
The Shortwave Set
Special Guest
The Wombats
Official Secrets Act
Noah And The Whale
Emmy The Great
Broken Records
Special Guest
Peggy Sue and the Pirates
Marina and the Diamonds
Theoretical Girl
Blue Roses
The Glitterati

East Dance:

2ManyDJs
Deadmau5
Pete Tong
La Roux
Wiley
Tinchy Stryder
Eric Prydz
Heartbreak
We Have Band

West Dance:

Josh Wink
Yoda
DJ Food
Qemists
Timo Maas
Japanese Popstars
Hudson Mohawke
NAPT
Emperors Machine
Jam The Channel

Avalon Stage:

The Wonder Stuff
Edward II
Eliza Carthy
Badly Drawn Boy
Solas
The King Blues
The Lancashire Hotpots
Wheeler Street
The Martin Harley Band

The Glade:

Stereo MCs
Stanton Warriors
DJ Fresh
Dub Pistols
Don Letts
Dr Meaker
Tayo
Rusko
Sancho Panza
Nairobi
Jinx

SUNDAY JUNE 28

Pyramid Stage:

Blur
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Madness
Tom Jones
Amadou Et Mariam
Tony Christie
Status Quo
Easy Star AllStars

Other Stage:

Prodigy
Glasvegas
Bon Iver
Bat For Lashes
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Enter Shikari
Brand New
Art Brut
Boxer Rebellion
In Case Of Fire

John Peel Stage:

Echo And The Bunnymen
The Wombats
Noisettes
Ladyhawke
The Soft Pack
Just Jack
Emmy The Great
Twisted Wheel
We Have Band
Wave Machines
Good Books

Jazz/World Stage:

Black Eyed Peas
Manu Dibango
Roots Manuva
Khaled
Orquesta Aragon
Linda Lewis
Abdullah Chhadeh And Syriana

Acoustic Stage:

Georgie Fame
Roger McGuinn
Sharon Corr
London Community Gospel Choir
Beth Rowley
Imelda May
Penguin Café Orchestra
Kate Walsh
Martin Harley Band
Lucy Wainwright Roche

The Park Stage:

Seun Kuti and Fela's Egypt 80
Cold War Kids
Tunng and Tinariwen
Alela Diane
Terry Reid
The Rockingbirds
Alberta Cross
Chief
Micachu and the Shapes
Bristol Community Choir

Queen's Head Stage:

Robyn Hitchcock
The Aliens
Magic Numbers
Bombay Bicycle Club
Joe Gideon And The Shark
Vagabond
Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong
Fight Like Apes
The Capitol Years
Soft Toy Emergency
Priscilla Ahn
Jersey Budd
Two Door Cinema Club
Major Major

East Dance:

Calvin Harris
Mr Scruff
VV Brown
Rob Da Bank
Frankmusik
Wonky Pop DJs
Kissy Sellout
Wonky Pop DJs
Ou Est
Chris Coco

West Dance:

Peaches
Jodie Harsh
Beat Torrent
Freq Nasty
Dirty Vegas
Quiver
Filthy Dukes
Don Diablo
Goldfish
Stuart Wilkinson
Transformer

Avalon Stage:

Peatbog Fairies
Seth Lakeman
Dodgy
Will Young
Teddy Thompson
The Mummers
The Destroyers
6 Day Riot
Stornoway

The Glade:

Gong Sunday
Steve Hillage Band
Eatstatic
Richard 'Kid' Strange and the Party
Second Class Citizen
Back to the Planet
3 Daft Monkeys
Hybrid Cinematic Set
Breakfast with Howard Marks

MONDAY JUNE 29

Queen's Head Stage:

Motown 50th Birthday

Forthcoming album said to be wordy and political and, oh yeah, Santigold guests on it.

By Fred Mills

"Our new record that is coming out that we finished the other day is called HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE."

Thus read an email from the Beastie Boys to their fans yesterday. As reported by Billboard.com, the aforementioned Hot Sauce Committee is due at an unspecified date later this year, although as the band is making the festival circuit this summer, it's anticipated that the album will come out in time to coincide with the tour. It's to be the followup to 2007's instrumental set The Mix-Up.

Mook attack! ("One badass supergroup"... So much for Mojo mag's credibility...)

By Blurt Staff

We get lots of press releases that go straight into the office shredder here at BLURT. (Hello, anyone doing p.r. of Ciara, Rihanna or American Idol.) Sometimes, though, the level of hype and bullshit is so over the top that we can't stop laughing. So, dear readers, laugh with us... Heat sensitive artwork, huh? (Anybody remember that Massive Attack box set?) "Soap on a Rope," eh? The only thing that would make this better would be if they'd decided to name the band "Chickenhawk"...

***

"Chickenfoot"; the all-star rock band consisting of drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), bassist Michael Anthony (ex-Van Halen), guitarist Joe Satriani and vocalist Sammy Hagar (ex-Van Halen), will release their eponymous debut album in the UK, Monday June 8th on the earMusic label.  The band performs on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, NBC Television in the USA on Friday June 5th.

Hailed as the most intense rock'n'roll album in years, the debut Chickenfoot album coincides with the bands' sold out UK concert at London's 02 Shepherds Bush Empire on June 25th. With the album currently at No. 6 in the Amazon.co.uk pre-order chart, several rock magazines are hailing the band as a breath of fresh air. Classic Rock says, "Chickenfoot is the best thing the band members have put their famous names to," while Mojo refers to the band as "one badass supergroup."

The album will be packaged in heat sensitive artwork. When you place your hand on the CD inlay, photos of the band will start to appear.

Tracklisting:

1.      Avenida Revolution
2. Soap on a Rope
3. Sexy Little Thing
4. Oh Yeah
5. Runnin' Out
6. Get It Up
7. Down the Drain
8. My Kinda Girl
9. Learning to Fall
10. Turnin' Left
11. Future in the Past

Tour Dates:

Saturday June 20 AUSTRIA Nova Rock Festival
Tuesday June 23 CORK, IRELAND: Live at the Marquee
Thursday June 25 LONDON Shepherd's Bush Empire
Friday June 26 HOLLAND: Heerhugowaard
Sunday June 28 BELGIUM Graspop Metal Meeting Festival
 With Marylyn Manson, Nightwish, Disturbed, Chickenfoot
Monday June 29 PARIS: Olympia
Wednesday July 1 MADRID Palacio De Deportes Comunidad De Madrid
Friday July 3 PISTOIA, ITALY: Blues Festival (line-up TBA)
Saturday July 4 MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND: Stravinski Hall
 Featuring Steely Dan, Dave Matthews, Chickenfoot
Sunday July 5 UDINE, ITALY: Lignano Sbbiadoro
Tuesday July 7 HAMBURG: Grosse Freiheit
Wednesday July 8 COPENHAGEN: Vega
Friday July 10 KILAFORS, SWEDEN: Rockweekend Festival
Sunday July 12 WEERT, HOLLAND: Bospop Festival
 Featuring Bryan Adams, Journey and Chickenfoot

Something about a commitment to herb, er, the arts... hey, dig that Lone Star coffee mug!

By Blurt Staff

Last week, the Texas State Legislature passed a resolution naming Willie Nelson the 2009 Texas State Musician:

"WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on the Arts has announced the 2009 and 2010 appointments for the positions of State Poet Laureate, State Musician, State Two-Dimensional Artist, and State Three-Dimensional Artist; and

"WHEREAS, Honorees are chosen for the exceptional quality of their work and for their outstanding commitment to the arts in Texas; nominees must either be native Texans or have resided in the state for at least five years; in addition, they must have received critical recognition from state, regional, and national publications, and they must have attained the highest levels of excellence in their respective disciplines."

"WHEREAS, Willie Nelson is the 2009 Texas State Musician; this legendary Texas performer was playing the guitar at the age of 6 and performing at 10; after establishing himself in Nashville as a hit songwriter, he returned to Texas and soon became world-famous as an interpreter of his own songs and as an icon of the outlaw country music movement; he has further distinguished himself as a film and television actor and entrepreneur, as well as an ever-popular touring concert artist who has been involved in numerous charity events such as FarmAid."

Poet Laureate Nelson, never one at a loss for words, was effusive with his comments, saying in a statement, "I consider it a great honor, and I want to thank everyone who helped make it happen."

Now THAT is entertainment. Okay, back to your stash, Willie.

Tickets go on sale TOMORROW for a concert NEXT YEAR?!?

By Blurt Staff

Todd Rundgren is set to perform his 1973 classic A Wizard, a True Star in its entirety for the first time ever in Britain on February 6, 2010 at the London HMV Hammersmith Apollo. This marks Todd's only UK performance of the album.

Tickets for the concert go on sale at 9am on Wednesday May 27th.  Tickets are priced £48.50, £45.00, £40.00, £32.00 (Agency and credit card bookings subject to a fee). Ticket Hotline: 08700 603 777, Book Online: www.seetickets.com.

Although Rundgren's 1972 album, Something/Anything? is considered by many to be his masterpiece, the psychedelic impact and bordering-on-disturbing innovation of the follow-up, A Wizard, A True Star is arguably Rundgren's most experimental and influential album and is regarded as one of the most pioneering progressive rock albums of all time. It also featured an unusual extended medley similar to the Beatles' second-side medley on Abbey Road. More than one head got liberally dosed while "consuming" AWATS, and a few even lived to tell about it!

This will be the first time in Britain that he will perform the whole record live onstage, from start to finish.  The first half of the concert will feature a selection of Rundgren's songs throughout his career, while the second half will consist of the entirety of A Wizard, a True Star.

Flame-haired songstress follows up her big 2007 release.

By Blurt Staff

A Fine Frenzy - essentially Alison Sudol, plus whomever she is surrounding herself with at any moment - will release Bomb in a Birdcage on Virgin on Sept. 8. It's the follow-up to 2007's critically acclaimed One Cell in the Sea..

"I think some people may be surprised," said 24-year-old Sudol, in a statement. "They think that I'm all fragile and ethereal, but I have a wild side, too. I'm a quiet person with a loud streak, and this record is a testament to that."

One Cell reached Number One on Billboard's "Heatseeker" charts, and A Fine Frenzy was chosen as a VH1 "You Oughta Know" artist. The album received rave reviews in publications from Entertainment Weekly to Harp to People.

Songs from the album were licensed to numerous television shows, and Sudol appeared on The Tonight Show, The CBS Early Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. The young redheaded singer made her acting debut on CSI:NY and turned up in fashion spreads, but she received even more attention for her literary interests, including a band name taken from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.

"Blow Away," the breezy, propulsive first single from Bomb in a Birdcage, illustrates that the new album retains the tuneful charm and whimsical language of the debut, while adding new colors and textures. Lengthy tours alongside the likes of Rufus Wainwright and Brandi Carlile contributed to Sudol's attraction to different sounds.

"On tour," she said, "I discovered that I love rocking out and having a good time. I started listening to as much music as I could. I didn't want to limit myself. I wanted to stretch and grow and push myself. I also wanted to have fun."

The pivotal point for Bomb in a Birdcage was "Stood Up," a sweeping rock ballad. "It was the most unruly I'd ever been," says Sudol. "I was scared by it at first and wanted to put it aside. But the songs I tend to love the most in the end are often the ones that, initially, I wanted to do away with."

"I felt like being daring," she added. "I wasn't interested in doing more of the same, that doesn't inspire me. And now, I can't wait to get on the road with this stuff! It's going to be quite an undertaking, but I'm up for it."

[Photo Credit: Tarin Anderson]

New album in stores and tour finally commences.

By Blurt Staff

As previously announced, Brooklyn-based Grizzly Bear - whose Ed Droste is one of the six cover subjects on the latest issue of BLURT - has a lengthy summer tour of the U.S. that kicks off this week. The acid folk/experimental rock/psychedelic band is supporting its new Warp Recs album Veckatimest, which was released this week. Watch this space for a full review shortly. Meanwhile....

Tour Dates:

May

Thu - 05.28 - New York, NY - Town Hall

Fri - 05.29 - New York, NY   Town Hall

Sun - 05.31 - New York, NY    Music Hall Of Williamsburg

June

Mon - 06.01 - Washington, DC -   9:30 Club

Tue - 06.02 - Philadelphia, PA  -  Trocadero Theatre

Wed - 06.03 - Boston, MA  -  Berklee Performance Center

Thu - 06.04 - Montréal, QC  -  Le National

Fri - 06.05 - Toronto, ON   - Phoenix

Sat - 06.6 - Chicago IL   - Empty Bottle *

Sun - 06.07 - Minneapolis, MN -   Cedar Cultural Center

Mon - 06.08 - Milwaukee, WI   - Pabst Theatre

Tue - 06.09 - Bloomington, IN   - Buskirk - Chumley Theater

Thu - 06.11 - Carrboro, NC -   Cat's Cradle

Fri - 06.12 - Atlanta GA  -  The Earl

Mon - 06.15 - Dallas, TX  -  Granada Theater

Tue - 06.16 - Austin, TX   - The Parish

Fri - 06.19 - Los Angeles, CA -   The Wiltern

Sun - 06.21 - San Francisco, CA -   The Fillmore

July

Fri - 07.03 - New York NY   South Street Seaport

*With John Vanderslice & Apostle Of Hustle

Get more information at Grizzly Bear

What's the deal with the triangle, you ask? We ain't saying....

By Fred Mills

Yacht - twisted indiepop duo Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans, they of the lithesome (if partially obscured) flesh above - drop their new album See Mystery Lights on July 28, courtesy DVA. We think it kicks ass. How do we know that? Because we are listening to it right now!

But don't be jealous: the band has a free MP3 of the track "Psychic City" available for you right now:

"Psychic City"

(Now, don't call this a "leak" because by definition, band's can't "leak" their own material. Crazed fans "leak." Writers with low self-esteem "leak." Studio engineers who get paid off "leak." Limo drivers who nab an artist's CDR while he's passed out in the back from too much cocaine, champagne and supermodel pussy "leak." Bands don't "leak" - they "release." Got that?)

At any rate, here's the scoop and the album and the band, courtesy Yacht's handler, for those of you who came in late. Like we said, the rec kicks ass....

***

After releasing three albums of original music, touring worldwide, and making scores of remixes for bands like Stereolab, Ratatat, and Architecture in Helsinki, Jona Bechtolt, the former half of The Blow otherwise known as YACHT, has taken his "life project" to a new level. Last year YACHT (Young Americans Challenging High Technology) reincarnated as a duo, with Bechtolt joined by new full-time member Claire L. Evans - an accomplished science writer, artist, and veteran of the previously-underground LA noise scene.  

After they recorded a tongue-in-cheek "love letter" to LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy in the form of the track " Summer Song," Murphy signed the pair to DFA Records. 

The music, lyrics, visual and conceptual themes of See Mystery Lights were born in an ad-hoc studio in a casita in Marfa, Texas. A baffling paranormal phenomenon in the Far West Texas desert, the "mystery lights" for which the album is named are nocturnal orbs of elusive light that randomly appear along the Texas horizon. Using this anomaly as a starting point, YACHT crafted an album that is both mysterious and immediately satisfying. 

"Ring The Bell" opens the album with a shamanistic groove anchored by a shaker and a rolling, one-note guitar line, steadily building as Bechtolt and Evans chant one of the album's many Delphic mantras: "Will we go to heaven or will we go to hell? It's my understanding that neither are real." The stuttering high-hats of "I'm In Love With A Ripper" make for a weird, yet inescapably potent club anthem, while the subversive "Don't Fight The Darkness" will either shed some light onto the mystical themes of the album or cast them further into shadow. 

See Mystery Lights is idiosyncratic and heavily layered, exploring themes from the existential, to the spiritual, to the hedonistic, all through the distorting lens of pop.  

The true beauty, however, is that one can choose to dive down YACHT's rabbit hole and search for answers -- or just as easily ignore their cryptic motifs and enjoy See Mystery Lights for the adventurous and innovative avant-pop album that it is.

A marriage of rock near-royalty at that!

By Fred Mills

Assuming you've been away from your computer all day, or drunk, or both, we'd be remiss not to let you know that Meg White and Patti Smith's kid Jackson just got hitched last weekend in Nashville, at Jack White's place.

According to an official announcement at the White Stripes' website:

"Meg White married fiance Jackson Smith on Friday, May 22^nd, in a ceremony in Nashville, TN, as part of a double wedding with Jack Lawrence [the bassist for the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather] and girlfriend Jo McCaughey. The nuptials took place in Jack White's backyard and were attended by a small party of close friends and relatives. The wedding was officiated by the most reverend Benjamin Swank."

It's been a tough couple of years for Meg White, what with her having to contend not only with exhaustion (that resulted in the Stripes' Fall 2007 being cancelled) but also that sex tape scandal (which, despite the widespread circulation of the explicit video, turned out to be a hoax). So here's hoping that her marriage - to some very fine musical stock, incidentally - is the start of a happy new era.

Late rocker "was in a really good place" in recent past.

By Blurt Staff

The following was posted this morning to the Undertow Music website, regarding the death earlier this week about former Wilco member Jay Bennett:

We want to thank everyone who got in touch from around the world. It's nice to know there are so many people who's lives where touched by Jay. We are all getting through this together. Jay's family has decided there will be no funeral or memorial service at this time. They are talking about some sort of memorial concert at a later date. We'll let you know once they have firm plans.

Also, the official Jay Bennett mailing list has sent out a important communiqué to subscribers in which some clarifications about Bennett's recent circumstances prior to his death. It's worth printing in full below.

***

Our good friend Jay Walter Bennett left us this weekend. As news hits the wires so instantaneously these days, we thought it was important to share some thoughts about our friend and brother before any rumors got out of hand.

First, let it be known that Jay was in a really good place these past few years. He had returned to the area he loved--the "Twin Cities," Champaign-Urbana--and resurrected his studio, Pieholden Suite Sound, with the assistance of many dear friends and allies. Jay had been busy making music. He recently had released an intimate record entitled "Whatever Happened I Apologize," and he was looking forward to wrapping up his new work, "Kicking at the Perfumed Air." Proud of finishing a trilogy of records, including "Bigger Than Blue," "The Beloved Enemy," and "The Magnificent Defeat," Jay loved the balanced yet ironic album titles. He was also looking forward to engineering and releasing Titanic Love Affair's previously unreleased record, as well as starting work on "The Palace at 4 a.m. Part II," the follow-up to his post-Wilco debut with Edward Burch. "Jay the Academic" had also reemerged, pursuing his umpteenth degree at the University of Illinois, and he was thrilled to be t aking graduate classes again.

As many of you may be aware, Jay had finally found the courage to put his Wilco issues out into the public forum. After a long, four-year process (and therefore very much unrelated to his impending hip surgery), formal filings against Wilco were finally initiated. This task was very emotional for Jay. He was a "lover," and this confrontation was not easy for him. With the exception of his final period in Wilco, Jay looked back on his time in the band with great fondness and pride. While he was dismayed that some people may have formed a narrow perception of him via the "documentary," all who truly knew him understood that with most entertainment media, editing is usually constructed for dramatic effect and presents only a small part of a larger, more complex reality.

So, please spend some time this week engaging in Jay's favorite passions: listen to a Nick Lowe album, watch some Mythbusters on Discovery, play Warren Zevon's "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," rent Pay It Forward (one of his favorite movies), write a song with the TV on and the sound off, and focus on how Jay always concluded his communications: "Love, Jay."

***

Meanwhile, BLURT blogger Kate Bradley has some heartfelt comments about Bennett HERE.

Awesome new album is downright uncanny in its awesomeness... yes, we are listening to it right now and it'll zip those pants right off ya!

By Blurt Staff

Hard-touring, hard-partying Tarheel band the Birds of Avalon wrote and recorded almost two-dozen new songs during a six-month break from and are prepared to release their sophomore LP, Uncanny Valley, this summer. The band: Craig Tilley (vox/keys), Cheetie Kumar (guitar/backing vox), Paul Siler (guitar), Scxott Nurkin (drums/vox) and David Mueller bass/vox).

Uncanny Valley is the second of two records that the band recorded in the last four months.   In January, they wrapped up a recording session at Mitch Easter's Fidelitorium Studio.  Following the session, the band found itself back home wanting to write and record additional material instead of getting back on the road as they usually would. "The two records are like two variations on a theme," says Cheetie Kumar, adding, "The first batch of songs resulted in a more elaborate, dense record, but this second batch seemed to sound like a summer record to us, which is when it's gonna come out."

After Easter, the famed producer (REM, Wilco, Pavement), generously offer to lend his 3M tape machine and some old used tape, the band borrowed the remaining equipment from friends around their hometown of Raleigh NC and proceeded to record a second album in their basement-rehearsal space which was transformed within days to a makeshift studio.

The band drew inspiration for this record from a theory by a Japanese roboticist to describe the phenomena by which human beings become more unsettled by robots or other human facsimiles in direct proportion to how lifelike they appear. In keeping with themes of "The Uncanny," the band's first MP3 off of Uncanny Valley, "Your Downtime Is Up," describes how a child's innocent exploration of underground storm drain tunnels turns into something more sinister. "Across the board, encountering your doppelganger is never a good thing.  It's usually an omen of death," says David Mueller, adding, "The song presents a modern myth in which a child exploring storm tunnels encounters his double and is frozen to the spot.  He then helplessly watches the doppelganger leave the tunnel to assume his identity in the world while he remains trapped below forever."  Fans can check out an MP3 of the song:

"Your Downtime Is Up"

The band will set out on a string of tour dates in support of Uncanny Valley which will include a Manhattan release show with a DJ set by past tour-mate, Ted Leo. Watch for a review of the album in the new print edition of BLURT, hitting stores in a few weeks.

Tour Dates:

6/13 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 w/ Dark Meat

6/22 - Washington, DC - The Red and Black Bar     

6/23 - New York, NY - Santos Party House        

6/24 - Allston, MA - Harper's Ferry    

6/25 - New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine    

6/26 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall        

6/27 - Eatontown, NJ - Monmouth Mall            

6/28 - Albany, NY - Crossgate Mall        

6/29 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's        

6/30 - Baltimore, MD - Talking Head Club @ Sonar    

7/3 - Raleigh, NC - Pour House (Weese Fest)

[Photo Credit: Justin Lyons]

Flip it and strip it... whoever said tattooed tits were tawdry, anyhow?

By Blurt Staff

It was bound to happen. Remember those old ballpoint "nudie cutie" pens? The ones that displayed a pic of a bathing suit clad nubile on the barrel - but when you flipped the pen over, all of a sudden her clothing had disappeared and there you were, in all your hairy palmed glory, staring slack-jawed at a nekkid chick? (We realize some of you female readers may not be following this narrative, particularly if you are of a younger generation, but work with us here.)

Well, bringing the flip ‘em and strip ‘em concept into the digital realm is a new iPhone app that updates the nudie pen concept for, you guessed it, the iPhone. Your lithesome models? Why, none other than the Suicide Girls! Apparently S-gals Lumi, Sash, Zoli, Rigel, Coley, Radeo, Inga, Dot, Antigone and Moxi - who makes up these names, anyway? - are available for your stripping pleasure. Simply download the app, shake the phone to either side to pick the stripper of your choice, then flip the phone and voila! No clothes!

Well, almost... most of the clothes will come off, as shown in these examples. This no doubt is to save you embarrassment for those times when your gradeschool-aged kid gets his or her hands on your phone in public...

Say hello, sailors, to (respectively, below) Moxi, Coley and Sash.

New album incoming from Jagjaguwar...

By Blurt Staff

Vancouver duo Lightning Dust's sophomore album for Jagjaguwar, Infinite Light (due August 4) is an album that ups the ante of the band's minimalist, self-titled debut and lays to waste any "side project" chatter. As Lightning Dust, Amber Webber and Joshua Wells harness a gentler sound than as founding members of Black Mountain, though this sound is no less loaded with tension and an enviable fluency in the most classic of psych-rock.

For the album, Webber and Wells called upon the powers of classic pop arrangements and made the most of five days with a Steinway Grand piano. While Webber and Wells met through their involvement in what they described as two of the saddest bands in Canada, the songs written for Infinite Light found the two moving away from the uniformly downbeat. Rather, the songs were more suited to lush and melodramatic arrangements. Cue the strings. Lightning Dust have delivered a cosmic record about the adventure in finding love and the journey in losing and rediscovering "the light."

While Infinite Light is definitely more layered and lush than previous efforts, Lightning Dust's minimal aesthetic works well in the economy of musical theater, an influence for the record, wherein each song's movements aim to be more inspiring than the one before it. And this is suiting in that Infinite Light is a nod to "the light of inspiration" that inspires us to keep dancing, creating and loving in spite of an encroaching darkness. It's a reminder that what makes the mountains so very, very black is a distant light somewhere on the other side.

First mp3 "I Knew" is a shining example, an unlikely cross between Suicide  and Fleetwood Mac. Catch a preview here:

"I Knew"

Tracklisting:

Antonia Jane

I Knew

Dreamer

The Times

Never Seen

History 

Honest Man

Waiting On The Sun To Rise

Wondering What Everyone Knows

Taking It Home

She & Him, The Black Keys, Mark Hoppus, Aimee Mann and Bettye LaVette
Join Judging Panel For The 9th Annual Independent Music Awards

By Blurt Staff

The Independent Music Awards (IMAs) announced yesterday the first group of artists and industry veterans who will determine the winners of the 9th annual IMAs, currently accepting submissions. This year additional categories in the competition include Love Song, Story Song, Eclectic Album and Concept Album.

The list includes: Aimee Mann, Shelby Lynne, Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky, Bettye LaVette, Jonatha Brooke, Suzanne Vega, Judy Collins, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward (She & Him), Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney (The Black Keys); the brothers Zac, Isaac and Taylor Hanson of Hanson; the members of Apples In Stereo (and 7th IMA Pop/Rock-Song Winners) Eric Allen, Bill Doss, John Dufilho and John Ferguson; Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Dennis Diken (The Smithereens), Butch Walker and Brian "Head" Welch (Korn).

According o the IMA, the program "supports artists who broaden the definition of commercial success and represent the diversity of the global Indie scene. The program honors artists with previous major label releases as well as artists signed to indie labels and those with self-released titles."

Past winners and nominees include: Koko Taylor, Martin Sexton, Jamie Lidell, The Apples In Stereo, Lacuna Coil, God Forbid, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Jeff Healey, Dengue Fever, Joan As Police Woman, Twilight Hotel, Speech, Mary Gauthier, Jennifer Nettles, Girl In A Coma, Marco Benevento, Tannis Slimmon and Dan Zanes.

Details at the IMA website - deadline for submissions is August 21.

High Wide & Handsome's the name, diggin' up some Tarheel root's the game.

By Blurt Staff

Loudon Wainwright III has created one of the most ambitious projects of his career with 'High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project,' out August 25 on 2nd Story Sound Records, examining the life, themes, and repertoire of the country music pioneer.

Immortalized in the 2005 box set, 'You Ain't Talkin' To Me: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music,' Poole was a bootlegger, banjo picker, amateur baseball player, drinker, rambler, gambler, and textile mill worker -- and one of the most popular musicians of his day, recording over 110 tracks for Columbia, Paramount, and Brunswick. Born in 1892 in North Carolina, he lived fast and died at the age of 39.

He was not, however, a writer, drawing instead on popular and traditional repertoire for his recordings and performances. According to All Music Guide, "Poole's talent for making it all seem like personal autobiography makes him very much a modernist, only a short leap away from an artist like Hank Williams." This same spirit of reinterpreting popular and trdational repertoire to reflect the present as well as the past may be seen as the heart of Wainwright's Poole project.

Producer Dick Connette (Geoff Muldaur, Last Forever) said, "The process has involved all sorts of great musicians and arrangers, and recording the songs as our ears, hearts, minds, and hands take us, from string quartet to swing trio, from old timey string band, to a cappella gospel. [Poole's work is] like a condensed compendium of all the strains that have created and continue to create American popular music."

Guests on the album include Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Nickel Creek mandolin player Chris Thile, and many others.

Details: www.thecharliepooleproject.com

[Pictured below: Wainwright with producer Connette]

Gahan recovering, band rescheduling cancelled shows.

By Blurt Staff

Depeche Mode are pleased to announce they will restart their interrupted Tour Of The Universe in Leipzig, Germany on June 8th.

On May 12th, lead singer Dave Gahan suffered a severe bout of gastroenteritis, leading to his hospitalization and the cancellation of the Athens concert. While in hospital, further medical tests revealed a low-grade malignant tumor in Dave's bladder, which has since been successfully removed. At doctors' orders Dave Gahan must take a break until June 8th, to ensure that he makes a full recovery. The Leipzig show on June 8th will be the first concert following Dave's recovery.

Dave Gahan sincerely thanks his fans for their support, understanding and patience. Depeche Mode deeply regret any problems or inconveniences the cancellations and postponements may have caused.

AFFECTED UPCOMING SHOWS

May 30th
London O2 is postponed and will be rescheduled to a new date, which will be announced shortly. Tickets purchased will remain valid.

May 31st
Depeche Mode's performance at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf is cancelled.

June 2nd
The show at the HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg will now take place on July 1st. Tickets purchased remain valid.

June 4th & 5th
The shows at Dusseldorf LTU Arena on June 4th and 5th will be rescheduled, however the exact dates cannot be determined until the 2nd Bundesliga releases its new schedule. Dates for the rescheduled shows are expected to be announced by early July. Ticket holders should retain their tickets for the rescheduled shows.

June 7th & 8th
Regrettably, the June 7th show in Leipzig must be cancelled due to doctors' orders, however the June 8th show will occur as planned. Tickets for the cancelled June 7th show may be exchanged for tickets to either the June 8th show in Leipzig or the June 10th show in Berlin (availability permitting) at the relevant box office.

July 2nd
Bergen, Koengen has been rescheduled to Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at the Vestlandhallen.

SHOWS TAKING PLACE AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED
The following European shows are not affected and will take place as originally planned.

June 8th LEIPZIG Zentralstadion
June 10th BERLIN Olympiastadion
June 12th FRANKFURT Commerzbank Arena
June 13th MUNICH Olympiastadion
June 16th ROME Stadio Olimpico
June 18th MILAN Stadio San Siro
June 20th WERCHTER TW Classic Festival
June 22nd BRATISLAVA Inter Stadium
June 23rd BUDAPEST Puskas Ferenc Stadium
June 25th PRAGUE Slavia Stadium
June 27th PARIS Stade de France
June 28th NANCY Zenith Amphitheatre
June 30th COPENHAGEN Parken Stadium
July 1st HAMBURG (rescheduled show)
July 3rd ARVIKA Arvika Festival
July 6th CARCASSONNE Esplanade Gambetta
July 8th VALLADOLID Jose Zorilla Stadium
July 9th BILBAO BBK Live Festival
July 11th PORTO Super Bock Super Rock Festival
July 12th SEVILLE Olimpic Stadium

Furthermore, all dates following Seville on the Tour of the Universe will proceed as originally planned.

CANCELED SHOWS STILL TO BE DETERMINED
Ticket holders for the previously canceled shows listed below are encouraged to hold on to their tickets pending a further statement. Every effort continues to be made to reschedule these shows and more time is needed to resolve venue availability and routing. A final decision is expected early next week, at which time a statement will be made with regards to either a rescheduled date or final cancellation.

May 12th ATHENS Terra Vibe
May 14th ISTANBUL Santral Istanbul
May 16th BUCHAREST Parc Izvor
May 18th SOFIA Vasil Levski
May 20th BELGRADE USCE Park
May 21st ZAGREB Arena
May 23rd WARSAW Gwardia Stadium
May 25th RIGA Skonto Stadium
May 27th VILNIUS Zalgirio Stadionas

No, really - we know they have been fucked up for a long time. But now they are literally "getting" Fucked Up.. Or at least part of it.

By Fred Mills

In today's official "fucked up news" comes word that Fucked Up frontman Damian Abraham (aka Pink Eyes) is going to be a Fox News commentator. The 300-pound, bearded, shaved head behemoth vocalist apparently hit it off with Fox's Greg Gutfeld, host of the network's "Red Eye" program and for some reason an avowed fan of Fucked Up, and after a couple of appearances on "Red Eye" wound up hitting it off (term used loosely) with some of the Fox bosses. (Presumably not Bill O'Reilly.) Reportedly, plans are afoot to have Abraham be a token left-leaning pundit, or something like that.

This info comes courtesy of Canada's CBC news, who quoted Abraham, in an interview, as saying somewhat incredulously, "I think this probably seems weirder to me being in this situation than for people outside looking in... It's one of those things where do you take this ridiculous opportunity as it's presented to you, or do you avoid it and just continue on with your life? That's sort of the internal struggle I'm dealing with."

Hey, we are all about ridiculous opportunities!

As Pitchfork drily observed in their own Fucked Up account, "Abraham isn't exactly part of Fox News' core demographic."

You got that right.

Fucked Up does Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown" (which that O'Reilly cat may be having about now if the news turns out to be accurate):

Here's hoping there's nothing about Black Flag or Don Henley on the rec, however...

By Blurt Staff

Fire up those browsers at exactly 11:59 p.m. on Monday night, June 1: that's when NPR Music is streaming the entire new album from the Dirty Projectors ahead of its release date. The album, Bitte Orca, is being made available for free, on-demand listening a full week before it arrives in stores as part of the site's "Exclusive First Listen" series.

Dave Longstreth formed Dirty Projectors in 2002, and the group now also counts Angel Deradoorian, Amber Coffman and Brian McComber as principal members. Bitte Orca is their fifth studio album; NPR Music calls the record "awe-inspiringly executed and marked by sparkling imagination."

Complete track listings and album information are available at NPR Music, where there are also extensive archives of concerts, interviews and reviews of Dirty Projectors, including the band's set during NPR Music's SXSW showcase. Dirty Projectors also performed with David Byrne during the recent Dark Was the Night Concert in New York City; that entire concert is streaming now at NPR Music.

How can everything go wrong when everything's going right for the trio?

By Blurt Staff

The Vivian Girls are set to drop their second album, Everything Goes Wrong, via In The Red on September 8. To get things rolling, the band's handlers want you to read a few pertinent quotes from the gals - whose guitarist, Cassie Ramone, appears on the cover of the latest issue of BLURT, incidentally - culled from a recent Pitchfork interview, conducted by Tom Breihan. Read on...

***

"Last time, the album was really rushed," says guitarist Cassie Ramone. "We were just go, go, go, go. And now we're taking our time with every step of the process, making sure we're really happy with everything before we move on."

With this band, though "taking our time" means they're taking six days to record the entire thing instead of the three days they used for their first album. Ramone says, "We recorded 15 songs, but if we put them all on the album, that'll be an hour's worth of music, so we're going to have to cut some of them out. Our last album was like 22 minutes, so we figure if this album is longer than 44 minutes that'll just be insane. It would be twice as long."

"We're aiming for around 35 minutes," adds bassist Kickball Katy. So you'll probably still be able to plow through the whole Vivian Girls album on your morning commute.

On the first album, the two longest, slowest songs, "Tell the World" and "Where Do You Run To", were clear standouts. The band says they'll focus more on that side of their sound on the second album. "The songs are longer," says drummer Ali Koehler. "I think it's moodier. I think we have basically the same influences as on our first album, but with more influences added."

Katy elaborates: "We have a few songs that kind of sound like the Gun Club. We have, like, a Neil Young-inspired song."

Ali: "We're using No Doubt's hi-hat."

Cassie: "That's not actually an influence. We actually are using No Doubt's cymbals, though. That was an accident."

But the band is still making sure to keep the raw, fun edge that animated the first album. They're recording most of their songs in single takes, they're producing it themselves, and they're not bringing in any guests. "We haven't turned into perfectionists," says Ali.

Tour Dates

Sat-Jul-04 Brooklyn, NY 979 Backyard / Captured Tracks & Woodsist Fest
Thu-Jul-09 Mexico City, MX El Almacén *
Thu-Jul-16 Toronto, ON Phoenix Theater #
Sun-Jul-19 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Music Festival
Fri-Jul-31 New York, NY Whitney Museum

* = w/ KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW
# = w/ F***ED UP, WOMEN

Son of legendary Afro-beat pioneer Fela Kuti target of possibly trumped-up accusations.

By Fred Mills

With an American tour slated to start just next week, Afro-beat star Femi Kuti got some rude news earlier this week from Nigerian authorities: they shut down his new Africa Shrine music venue, using as a basis somewhat vague environmental laws and citing "noise nuisance, illegal street trading, indiscriminate parking, blocking of access roads and obstruction of traffic."

According to a report filed by Agence France Presse, Yeni Kuti, eldest child of Fela Kuti (who passed away from AIDS in 1997), and co-manager of the club with Femi, said the state government gave the Kuti family 48 hours "to abate the nuisance and restore the land to a conducive environment" but closed the club less than 24 hours after the delivery of the letter. "I'm shocked, indignant," Yeni told reporters. "They [authorities in Lagos] dropped the note on Monday evening and the next day at 9:00 am they had closed the place."

No other details are known at this time.

"It's kind of like a trilogy." - Rick Nielsen, speaking to BLURT.

By Fred Mills

It's not just a cheap trick: the mighty Cheap Trick is laying plans to be the hippest thing happening this summer, with a new studio album set to drop June 23, a song on in the new Transformers film, a summer tour with Def Leppard and (urk!) Poison - well, one-third of that bill is hip, but that bill will certainly PAY the bills - and, possibly, a concert disc from their 2007 Hollywood Bowl performance where they covered the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's.

Regarding the new album, The Latest will be sold as a CD, LP and - get this - 8-track, exclusively at Amazon.com for the first month. The band is already taking pre-orders; details at CheapTrick.com. It's the followup to 2006's Rockford.

Speaking to BLURT several months ago prior to naming the album, guitarist Rick Nielsen disclosed that the record was already finished, joking, "It's called The One After This Next One. No, I don't have a title for it yet." Clearly he was on the right track, however, as "The Latest" seems to be a reasonable evolution from "The One After This Next One."

Nielsen paused to laugh, then added, "It's kind of like a trilogy: 3 songs, 3 songs, 3 songs. Then 1 song. So it's not a real triology - it's our bad math version of a trilogy."

In a report filed today by Billboard.com, drummer Bun E. Carlos observed, "We wanted to make a record that sounded like 2009, get something that sounds like us this year." Nielsen weighed in as well, saying, "I think it seems like we kinda grew up but didn't too old, 'cause musically there's a lot of different aspects to it. When you hear something like ('Sick Man of Europe'), you think, 'This can't be the same guys.' It sounds too energized for what people expect from somebody who's been around as long as we have...But musically I think it sounds like we grew up a bit."

 Meanwhile, news about the Hollywood Bowl recording was initially posted at Billboard.com then subsequently removed for reasons not clear - possibly because the group hadn't prepared an official announcement yet. Here's the original Billboard text as it appeared prior to being deleted:

The group is also planning to release some sort of document from its 2007 Hollywood Bowl performance of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" but is not ready to announce it yet. That performance, a 40th-birthday tribute to the classic album, featured such guest vocalists as Aimee Mann on "Fixing a Hole" and Joan Osborne on "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds."

Goin' down to the medicine show one mo'  time...

By Fred Mills

Back in 2001, Dream Syndicate founder Steve Wynn pressed his band The Miracle 3 into service to perform D.S. album The Days of Wine and Roses in its entirety as a combined tribute to his old band's groundbreaking classic and to mark the release of Rhino's remastered/expanded reissue. By all accounts, from both band and fans, the series of shows where Wine was covered was a rousing success.

 Now word comes that Wynn and the M3 - Jason Victor, Dave Decastro and Linda Pitmon - will be doing a pair of shows, one in NYC and one in L.A., in which they cover the Syndicate's second album, 1984's The Medicine Show, to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the LP.

As Wynn & Co. quipped in a press release announcing the events, "Ronald Reagan makes a run at a second term as president, the Berlin Wall is still intact, Boy George tops the charts and has yet to spend a day in jail or collecting trash in lower Manhattan, MTV seems to be a fad that might just stick around, cell phones and the internet aren't much more than space-age rumors alongside jet-packs and time travel.  Most of the more dire predictions in George Orwell's book haven't come true.  Yet. And the Dream Syndicate releases The Medicine Show."

"I always loved this record and felt it has lived in the shadows of The Days of Wine and Roses," said Wynn. "So it will be nice to have a couple of nights to let it stand up on its own and see how it stands up to a quarter of a century."

While Medicine Show performed admirably on the charts, it confused a lot of the critics who expected the band to replicate the nu-psychedelia of its predecessor. Apparently it fared better overseas, however; BLURT is advised that it even made the London Guardian's "Top 40 Albums of the First 40 Years of Rock" list in the mid-90s. And not without cause, either, as it's long been a fan favorite, particularly around BLURT manor.

It's different from the first album, that's for sure, but harder-edged, tauter in some places and more sprawling in others, and with a tunesmith's ear for classic hooks. From the subtly incendiary anthemism of "Burn" and the jangly vivaciousness of "Tell Me When It's Over" to the chooglin' raveup that's "John Coltrane Stereo Blues" and the thumping, thudding thug-rock of "The Medicine Show," Medicine Show remains one of the era's stone classics.

"'Medicine Show is the weirdest, most idiosyncratic, nastiest, funniest and most revealing record the Dream Syndicate ever made," said Wynn in the liner notes from the record's 1991 reissue.  "It's also my favorite."

If anyone reading this is keeping count here, this makes two classic releases for one band. How many groups can lay a claim to one, much less two? Of course, anyone reading this who also knows Wynn's career also realizes that the hits just keep coming from this ever-prolific songwriter.

Be there or be square:

JUNE 27                     BELL HOUSE                                     BROOKLYN, NY

JULY 9                        THE ECHO                                         LOS ANGELES, CA