Host a MV advance listening party the way you wanna host it.

By Blurt Staff

Here's your chance to grab that elusive 15 minutes of fame - or Almost Famous. The Mars Volta has announced plans to have 10-15 fans to host exclusive listenings in their homes for the band's new album, Octahedron in advance of its June 23 release on Warner Bros.

If you want in, you have to submit "an entry vying to host one of the listening parties," say the PR folks. Entries can be submitted in any form from YouTube videos, illustrations, writings, to anything that expresses why the entrant deserves to be a "Host." "Official Hosts" will have their party pics posted on The Mars Volta's website. One host and a guest will also be awarded a chance to see The Mars Volta perform anywhere in the US. Entries must be submitted by June 3rd to OctahedronParty@gmail.com

In the meantime, the band has provided this link containing two new tracks off the band's upcoming release:

New Music from The Mars Volta

Catch the new video from new album.

by Blurt Staff

We told you about Metric's new album Fantasies.

Well here's a chance to watch the video for "Sick Muse" while catching some of the off-stage life of this cool band.

Check it out here

Or you can watch the HD version here: HD version here

New sound, appearances set for this month.

by Nancy Dunham

Just when we thought we'd heard the last from Yoko Ono, word has come that the Plastic Ono Band will release Don't Stop Me! EP on June 9 via iTunes.

In addition, the widow of John Lennon and mother of Sean Lennon will receive the Golden Lion achievement award this week at the Venice Biennale on June 6 and perform (we think!) at the Meltdown Festival, Royal Festival Hall in London on June 14.

"At 76 years young, Yoko continues to kick ass -- and is preparing to release Don't Stop Me!, a career-defining album made with her new Plastic Ono Band. The record is a gorgeous, mind-melting blend of styles, restating and sharpening themes while plunging into the always-mysterious future."

Don't know about you guys, but we at Blurt can't wait to check it out.

Dude used to run with the 13^th Floor Elevators, among many. Any questions?

By Blurt Staff

Powell St. John - called by some the "godfather of Texas psych," and with good reason - will drop his new album On My Way to Houston on July 21 via the good folks at Tompkins Square. It was recorded in Oakland with members of Roky Erickson's former band, The Aliens, and features an unrecorded Roky composition, "Hardest Working Man." Austin fixture Ralph White contributes as well. Longtime fan and well-respected publicist/journalist Bill Bentley wrote liner notes for the package.

St. John cut his teeth at Austin's Threadgill's Bar, performing with Janis Joplin and Lanny Wiggins in a trio called The Waller Creek Boys. Later, in answer to a request for material from Tommy Hall of the 13th Floor Elevators, St. John wrote five songs for their two first albums. In the late ‘60s, Powell formed the blues/rock band Mother Earth with Tracy Nelson, releasing several albums on Mercury. Among the legendary musicians who have sung and recorded Powell's songs are Janis Joplin ("Bye, Bye Baby"), Boz Scaggs ("I'll Forever Sing"), Roky Erickson ("Right Track Now") and Doug Sahm ("You Don't Know"). The Texas Music Hall of Fame inducted Powell in 2005.

Said Roky Erickson of his old cohort, "I think he is a first-rate harmonica player and I am glad he is still doing it. His songs are some of my favorites!"

Check out an MP3 from the album:

"Song of the Silver Surfer"

Former roadie finally finds a way to cash in!

By Fred Mills

Some days you write the news, other days it just writes itself....

With Ryan Adams and Courtney Love laying relatively low of late, and Pete Doherty apparently cleaned up enough to be let back into the circle of trust by his old bandmates, it's up to dead rock stars to carry the weight during today's news cycle. And you can't get much deader than Jimi Hendrix, who croaked on his own vomit, due to an excess of booze and pills apparently, in September of 1970.

Since then the guitar icon's become a cottage industry for just about anybody with an old tape or an old war story. To wit: erstwhile Hendrix Experience roadie James "Tappy" Wright has a new book out (uh-huh) called Rock Roadie and in it he makes the claim that Hendrix manager Michael Jeffrey was responsible for Hendrix's death.

The Daily Mail is reporting the story that Jeffrey's motivation in coaxing Hendrix to take the pills and booze was to collect on life insurance - this despite the fact that back then you didn't exactly have to convince Jimi to take pills and booze.

In lines straight out of a bad B-movie, Wright quotes Jeffrey as telling him, in a private conversation, "I was in London the night of Jimi's death and together with some old friends... we went round to [girlfriend Monika Danneman's], hotel room, got a handful of pills and stuffed them into his mouth... then poured a few bottles of red wine deep into his windpipe. I had to do it. Jimi was worth much more to me dead than alive. That son of a bitch was going to leave me. If I lost him, I'd lose everything."

Conveniently, Jeffrey is now dead, so he can't be questioned on these matters. He died in a plane crash in '73, and Wright is claiming he made the confession to him two years earlier.

Let's do the math here... 2009 - 1971 = 38 years. That's a long time to hold onto a yarn as explosive as this one. Oh wait - Wright's just published a book. Caveat emptor.

Anyway, there's some other stuff you can read about all this at the above link if you aren't bored already...

Widespread Panic bassist call it like he sees it.

By Fred Mills

Two ducks walk into a bar. The first duck says to the second duck, "Do you think the first Jeff Beck Group, the one with Rod Stewart, or the second version, with Bobby Tench, was more powerful?" The bartender leans over and comments, "Say, we don't get too many ducks in this place..."

Okay, so it's an old joke. But we have Jeff Beck on our mind today, courtesy the latest entry in Dave Schools' blog, which you can find HERE. In it, the Widespread Panic bassist sings the praises of the legendary axeman and talks about seeing the current incarnation of the Beck group perform in Oakland recently.

"A staggering display of electric virtuosity without musical snobbery and overt academics," is Schools' assessment.

And we could not agree more.

Announcing summer tour plus departure of a key member.

By Blurt Staff

Los Campesinos, writing on their blog - have revealed the departure of a Campesinos! as well as details of their biggest tour yet of the USA in August. Taken from the blog on www.loscampesinos.com the band had these comments:

 "This is a difficult announcement to have to write, and one we'd have hoped we'd never need to, but it is with a heavy heart we in Los Campesinos! need to announce the forthcoming departure of Aleks Campesinos! from our number.

"After three years of LC!, in an incredible journey that has gone from inaudible student union side room gigs to playing in front of thousands in Caracas city centre; Aleks is now, as she always intended, departing the band in order to return to her studies.

"In many ways, it would be great if there had been some falling out in the band and that Aleks couldn't bear to tour with us anymore, but that couldn't be further from the truth. We're all better, closer friends now than we've ever been, and this makes the decision tougher on both Aleks, and the other six of us. We've always been very pragmatic when thinking about the future for Los Campesinos!, and it is at this point that Aleks has decided her future does not reside in flogging this LC! nonsense any  longer. Though she will remain a Campesinos! for eternity. There's no escaping that.

"It shouldn't need saying, and perhaps it almost seems insensitive, but it's inevitable news of this nature will cause tongues to wag, so it's best to confirm that Los Campesinos! will continue as a band, stronger and more united than ever. Though this news is being announced only now, it's something we as a band have been aware of, and preparing for, for the past year. The individual joining the band to take on Aleks' duties, and more, has been a friend of the band for a long time and though we are understandably maudlin, nay, heartbroken, this is coupled with a great excitement for what we intend to go on and achieve in the near and distant future.

"In the meantime, we are finishing up Aleks' final record with the band, and can announce her final LC! shows - a US Tour, taking place in August. Taking in our biggest indoor shows to date, as well as a happy return to the site of our first US show (Lollapalooza), we navigate parts of America previously unchartered by us, before Aleks' very last shows come with a weekend in the California sun. The girl will go out in fuckin style; we will make completely sure of that."

Writing on the band blog as well Aleks said, "I'm not sure I can really find the right words to express how I feel about leaving the band. The past 3 years have given me some of the best times of my life full of incredible experiences and wonderful people. I am really grateful to have been a part of the Los Campesinos! story. I'm going to miss so much about the whole thing."

Tickets for the newly announced US dates will go on sale on June 5th. Support on all shows will come from Girls, except where indicated.

Tour Dates:

8/4/09 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
8/5/09 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
8/6/09 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
8/7/09 - Indianapolis, IN @ Spin Nightclub *
8/8/09 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
8/11/09 - St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
8/12/09 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
8/14/09 - Austin, TX @ Emo's
8/15/09 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre
8/16/09 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse
8/19/09 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
8/20/09 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
8/21/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
8/22/09 - Pomona, CA @ Glass House
8/23/09 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar
8/25/09 - Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar *
8/28/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival
8/29/09 - San Diego, CA @ Street Scene

* w/o Girls

Slow news day, must find quotes.

By Fred Mills

Okay, we lied. That nine-star review we ran of The High End of Low last week is NOT the only time you'll ever see the words "Marilyn Manson" appear in BLURT. Saucy news o' the day arrives courtesy Spinner.com in which we learn that Nine Inch Nails mainman Trent Reznor has been turning Manson's smile upside down by calling him "a dopey clown."

Apparently the two had a falling out awhile back, but for no real good reason other than to make headlines - or perhaps Spinner making a headline out of it - Reznor is just now griping about Manson.

Reznor is quoted as saying, "He is a malicious guy and will step on anybody's face to succeed and cross any line of decency. Seeing him now, drugs and alcohol now rule his life and he's become a dopey clown."

There's more of course. Hit the above link. No comment yet from the MM camp, but watch out. Meow! Rrrrr! Fffftttt!

Vocalist for the legendary X discloses the news this morning.

By Blurt Staff

Sad news from the X camp. See below, and please support Sweet Relief.

***

STATEMENT FROM EXENE CERVENKA OF X:

After some months of not feeling 100% healthy, I recently had some medical tests run and the prognosis is that I am suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Apparently, it has been affecting me for quite some time.

Although this is obviously unfortunate news, I am choosing to see the positive in it. I, and X as a band, have supported the Sweet Relief charity since the mid-1990's; the irony of this is not lost on any of us. Sweet Relief was started as an aide to uninsured artists by musician Victoria Williams when she herself was diagnosed with MS in 1992.

While this diagnosis will most certainly mean some changes for me, personally, it will not affect my commitments to the current X U.S. tour, nor will it affect my solo album that is slated for release this fall on Bloodshot Records.

My focus will certainly be on maintaining my health--many people remain strong and continue to live their lives as productively as they had before an MS diagnosis and I plan to be one of those people.

To find out more about Sweet Relief please visit: www.sweetrelief.org

To find out more about X please visit: www.xtheband.com

Selected dates to promote new album, and rumors of a new dB's happening, too.

By Fred Mills

Awhile back we told you about the new album en  route from Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey (of the dB's). Titled hERE aND nOW, it drops next Tuesday courtesy Bar/None, and the two friends are going to be doing some selected dates (primarily on the East Coast) to promote the platter. See the itinerary below.

And watch for the next issue of BLURT, due in stores in late June or early July, in which we talk to the boys about the album as well as that other notable project of theirs - which, we've learned, continues apace towards a new full-length.

"I would say you can expect from a new dB's record a variety of songs that will maintain the high standard of quality we established on our first 45," Holsapple tells BLURT. "Otherwise, it'd be another cash-grab reunion thing that runs its course in a matter of a couple of years. The time we've been taking on this album has ensured the band working together much longer than that already."

Mon    06.08.09     Arlington, VA    IOTA Club & Café        
Tue    06.09.09     New York, NY    City Winery        
Sat    06.27.09     Carrboro, NC    Cat's Cradle    w/ American Aquarium, Luego    
Sat    07.04.09     Durham, NC    Festival for the Eno at Durham City Park        
Fri    07.10.09     Asheville, NC    Grey Eagle       
Sat    07.11.09     Nashville, TN    The Basement        
Fri    07.17.09     Santa Monica, CA    McCabe's Guitar Shop        
Wed    07.29.09     Durham, NC    Duke Gardens - Summer Series

Saint Bernadette, Carina Round, Joan of Arc, Alligators, Son Volt and Sharon Van Etten.

By Blurt Staff

It's officially New Music Tuesday at BLURT, which means, quite logically, you can hear some new music today (Tuesday, duh) at BLURT.

What, pray tell, is the new music in question? Glad you asked! Glom onto these ace MP3s:

Saint Bernadette  - Wrap It Up (Exotic Recordings,  from the Word To The Lourdes EP)

Carina Round - Backseat (Self-Released, from Things You Should Know)

Joan of Arc - Explain Yourselves (Polyvinyl Records, from Flowers)

Alligators - Where Does It Hide (Applehouse Records, from Piggy and Cups)

Son Volt - Down to the Wire (Rounder Records, from American Central Dust)

Sharon Van Etten - For You (Language of Stone Records, from Because I Was In Love)

Just click on the BLURT Radio icon on the right-hand side of our homepage and wait for the music player to pop up in a separate window. Then enjoy some fine listening!

And check back every Tuesday, same BLURT-time, same BLURT-channel, to hear the latest streaming goodies, all personally netted, vetted and hand-selected by our trained staff of highly evolved primates. Why? Because at BLURT, we care.

It's not just a monotonic question... influential band will be touring, too, in the wake of four key reissues.

By Blurt Staff

One of the premiere first wave electronic groups, Book of Love emerged out of the New York City scene in the mid-‘80s in the wake of UK synthpop stalwarts Yaz, Erasure and Depeche Mode. Signed to a label deal with Sire Records by the legendary Seymour Stein, art-students-turned-musicians Ted Ottaviano, Susan Ottaviano (oddly no relation), Jade Lee and Lauren Roselli recorded just four albums, but their influence can heard today more powerfully than ever, from the chart-storming dance pop of Ladyhawke and La Rouxto the darker leanings of indie electro darlings Little Boots and Goldfrapp. Yet as these albums - Book of Love, Lullaby, Candy Carol and Lovebubble - are readied for a July 21 reissue on Collectors' Choice Music's Noble Rot label, the reunited bandmates are preparing their first tour since 2001.

 
The reissues were annotated by Michael Paoletta, former editor and dance music columnist at Billboard magazine, who observed: "Memorable melodies and provocative lyrics reigned supreme. Book of Love's songs were cathartic, ebullient and life-affirming: solemn celebrations if you will."

 
Between 1986 and 1993, the band delivered 12 singles culled from the four studio albums about to be reissued. Songwriting duties were handled primarily by Susan and Ted though Lauren contributed more to this process on Candy Carol and Lovebubble, while Jade's writing chops were showcased on the first and final albums.

 
• Book of Love: Book of Love's 1986 eponymous debut album contained the hits "Boy," "Book of Love," "I Touch the Roses" and "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)," all chart-topping Billboard dance hits. The album got them on the road with Depeche Mode twice at the height of that group's popularity. Seymour Stein signed the band to Sire Records upon hearing the demo of the song "Boy," which joins ten other demo tracks on a bonus album, making the Book of Love reissue a 2-CD set. Other bonus tracks include rare demos "I Touch Roses (Daniel Miller Mix)," "Boy (Dub Version)" and "Modigliani (Instrumental Version)."

 
• Lullaby: This 1988 release became the band's highest-charting album, thanks in large part to the two killer cuts that lead off the record. The first was a beat-fortified remake of Mike Oldfield's classic "Tubular Bells (Theme From The Exorcist)" and "Pretty Boys, Pretty Girls," which was quite possibly the first song about AIDS ever to hit the charts. The deluxe reissue includes the bonus extended mix of "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls," "Tubular Bells/Pretty Boys Pretty Girls" (Regan's house medley), "Lullaby (Pleasant Dream Mix)," "Witchcraft (Extended Mix)" and "Enchantra." The album spent nine weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart, peaking at 156 and crossing over from club dance floors to adventurous pop radio stations.

 
• Candy Carol: Highlighted by the tracks "Alice Everyday," "Counting the Rosaries" and "Sunny Day" (which was featured in the film The Silence of the Lambs), this 1991 album shifted into a more psychedelic direction and was rewarded with another Billboard album chart entry; the single "Alice Everyday" missed Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart by one point. "We were working on Candy Carol when Jonathan Demme was working on Silence," says Lauren, "I played him a rough mix and he felt he could use it in the film." Bonus tracks include the "Everyday Glo Mix" and the "Sam the Butcher Mix" of "Alice Everyday," plus the single remix of "Sunny Day" and the "Happiness and Love Mix" of "Counting the Rosaries."

• Lovebubble: Book of Love's final album in 1993 shows the members moving in different directions, making it an interesting, eclectic listen, full of cognitive dissonance. Included are "Boy Pop" ("Swinging Boy Bop Mix"), "Hunny Hunny (the band's ABBA tribute in its "Sweet and Sticky MixPop Mix") plus "Chatterbox" ("The Late Nite Chat Mix"). Lovebubble was the only Book of Love to feature vocal work by all four members. According to annotator Paoletta, the band "could decide to move creatively forward or back. So they went both ways." "We were cordial while making Lovebubbble but the camaraderie was gone," says Ted. "You can't make magic with four cordial people."

 
The group's last proper tour was in 2001, in support of Candy Carol. If all goes according to plan, Book of Love will take to the road in the coming months including a hometown New York show.
 

"In the meantime," writes Paoletta, "we will, collectively, continue to touch roses."

Definitely no new tale to tell here, kids.

By Fred Mills

So, we're lounging around in the BLURT hot-tub the other day, waiting for Mandy Moore and Paula Abdul to arrive (don't ask), when Randy said, in a slightly slurry tone of voice, "Say - what's up with Love and Rockets? I've been jonesin' for some o' that goth/not-goth alterna-rock lately?" To which I replied, "Gleep!"

Okay - but it COULD'VE happened. Actually, if you know of anyone who has wondered anything about the ‘80s/'90s Bauhaus offshoot in, say, a hundred fortnights, get in touch with BLURT with evidence and we'll send you a boxed set of our first seven digital issues. It's a dare we think we can take.

Of course, if we were to poll the Flaming Lips, Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer, Monster Magnet, the Dandy Warhols and Black Francis, we might be spending the next few hours crating up BLURTs: those icons, along with 13 other acts, most of whom you've never heard of, are all to appear on New Tales to Tell: A Tribute to Love and Rockets. That's the news we're getting this morning from Pitchfork, who informs us that July 28 is the digital target date (August 18 for physical) for the tribute, courtesy Aresenal Rock N Roll.

And although Change-man Shepherd Fairey has done a bangup job with the cover art, all we can say is - what's the point? Does anyone even know how any of the songs listed below go, much less want to hear them again? If you must, however, hotfoot it over to the album's MySpace page and check out some of the tunes.

Remember folks: friends don't let friends do tribute albums. If a musician starts making noises about taking part in one, walk up to him purposefully, take the keys to the recording studio out of his hands, and drive him immediately to the nearest bar.

Tracklisting:

01 Black Francis: "All in My Mind"
02 Puscifer: "Holiday on the Moon"
03 War Tapes: "Love Me"
04 Blaqk Audio: "No New Tale to Tell"
05 Dubfire: "I Feel Speed"
06 The Dandy Warhols: "Inside the Outside"
07 The Flaming Lips: "Kundalini Express"
08 Sweethead: "Life in Laralay"
09 Film School: "An American Dream"
10 A Place to Bury Strangers: "The Light"
11 Monster Magnet vs Adrian Young: "Mirror People"
12 The Stone Foxes: "Fever"
13 Frankenstein 3000: "No Big Deal"
14 VEX: "It Could Be Sunshine"
15 Better Than Ezra: "So Alive"
16 Chantal Claret vs Adrian Young: "Lazy"
17 Ian Moore: "Sweet F.A."
18 Snowden: "No Words No More"

Gratuitous Plug For Our Friends Dept.: Hey, get your own website if you don't like it!

By Fred Mills

Yes, indeedy, this is a gratuitous plug, but the music content is pretty strong, so don't sweat it. This Sunday, June 7, brings the latest installment of the Asheville Sound Swap - in Asheville, NC, natch, right near the BLURT summer vacation cabin (ask us about our mentoring sessions held deep in the western North Carolina mountains sometime) - which is exactly what the name implies.

Call it a record show, call it a swap meet, call it a gathering together in one room of a bunch of anal-retentive obsessives with low social skillz (although back in October at the last one, no less than Greg Cartwright of the Reigning Sound and James Jackson Toth of Wooden Wand were selling their wares), but a good time is guaranteed by all no matter what you call it.

From 11 am until about 5pm at the local Grey Eagle venue, dealers will be setting up and flogging their product while deejays spin hot wax over the club's PA system. There's even a bar and restaurant serving up nourishing amenities. How do we know? Because we set up at a table each time too (unloading all that junk we get in the mail during the year that no sane editor or writer would want to hang on to in a million years, but that's a whole other story... this year we're dragging out the rare vinyl).

You don't wanna miss it, and admission is free. The Grey Eagle is located at 185 Clingman Avenue, 828-232-5800, on the web at www.thegreyeagle.com. Hey, Sir Richard Bishop is playing there the following Tuesday - cool!

The event is hosted by our pals at Harvest Records (415 Haywood Road in Ashville, www.harvest-records.com), so you know the TMOQ is valid. They're hooked up with online record store Tomentosa Records (www.tomentosarecords.com) so check ‘em both out.

Meanwhile, be there or be square Sunday.

Kinda like Record Store Day, come to think of it.

By Fred Mills

Great news for all you folks who turned out for Record Store Day back in April: the same folks behind the annual event have organized Vinyl Saturday, which will take place at many (if not most) of the same indie stores who participated in Record Store Day.

As both Pitchfork and Each Note Secure are reporting, there will be some exclusive goodies being offered on Vinyl Saturday. To wit:

• A Wilco 7-inch for "You Never Know" b/w "Unlikely Japan" in a limited editon of 3800
• A Green Day 7-inch for "Know Your Enemy" b/w "Hearts Collide," 5000 numbered copies
• The latest in a Modest Mouse series of 45s, "Autumn Beds" b/w "Whale Song"
• An advance peek at the Pete Yorn/Scarlett Johanssen album featuring a duet on one side and a Yorn demo on the flip

Other stuff rumored to be incoming includes Al Green, Earth, Patterson Hood, the Woggles, Those Darlins and Wolves In The Throne Room. Sign up to the Record Store Day Twitter for updates.

Still doing music that makes the baby cry... will also be performing at selected tour dates this summer.

By Blurt Staff

Legendary Tarheel band Polvo will release their new album, In Prism, September 8th on Merge Records. In Prism is the first studio album from Polvo since 1997's Shapes. In Prism was recorded at Echo Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina with Brian Paulson in March of 09, with additional recording in Carrboro in May of '09. 

Polvo formed in 1990 in Chapel Hill, NC. Their lineup consisted of vocalists/guitarists Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski, bassist Steve Popson, and drummer Eddie Watkins.  Polvo, joined by drummer Brian Quast (Cherry Valence), reformed in 2008 when asked to perform at ATP by Explosions in the Sky. Several festival shows followed, and new songs emerged. 

The band has tour dates planned in June and July including XX Merge, and the Seaport Music Festival with Obits on July 31st. More dates tba.

Track listing: 

1) Right The Relation
2) D.C. Trails
3) Beggar's Bowl
4) City Birds
5) Lucia 
6) Dream Residue/Work
7) The Pedlar
8) A Thousand Waves

Tour Dates:

June 26 - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre

June 27 - Wilmington, NC - Soapbox Laundro-Lounge

July 30 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's

July 31 - New York, NY - Seaport Music Festival w/ Obits

August 1 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar

Live concert from March of '67 features songs never before on a Buckley album.

By Blurt Staff

Tompkins Square just announced news of an unreleased Tim Buckley recording due Aug. 25. Titled Live at the Folklore Center, NYC - March 6th, 1967 it's sure to be manna for the Buckley fans, who in the past were relatively well served by the likes of Rhino and Rhino Handmade but in recent years have had to settle for dubious-sounding bootlegs as the official Buckley well had seemingly run dry.

No longer - the unreleased recording was captured by folk impresario Izzy Young at his famed Folklore Center located at 321 Sixth Avenue, which served as a nexus for up-and-coming singer-songwriters during the folk boom of the late '60s. The entire night's concert, performed in front of about 35 people, is presented in its original running order of 16 songs, six of which are Tim Buckley compositions that have never appeared on any studio or live album.

The CD package includes an unpublished interview with Buckley conducted by Izzy Young on March 17th & 18th, 1967, along with new notes from Young. The album was produced for release by Tompkins Square label's Josh Rosenthal in cooperation with Buckley's Estate, and mastered from the original tapes by Grammy-winning engineers Steve Rosenthal, Warren Russell-Smith and Jamie Howarth.

Tim Buckley (1947-1975) was among the most adventurous and influential singer-songwriters of the '60's and '70's, releasing nine studio albums in his career. Buckley's music continues to deeply inspire new fans and artists with each passing year. 'Live at the Folklore Center', the earliest live recording among seven others commercially available, showcases Buckley in an intimate, solo acoustic setting, highlighting his magical guitar playing and soaring vocal style.

Track listing (* indicates previously unreleased Tim Buckley composition, unavailable on any studio or live album):

1. SONG FOR JAINIE

2. I NEVER ASKED TO BE YOUR MOUNTAIN

3. WINGS

 4. PHANTASMAGORIA IN TWO

5. JUST PLEASE LEAVE ME *

6. DOLPHINS

7. I CAN'T SEE YOU

8. TROUBADOUR

9. AREN'T YOU THE GIRL

10. WHAT DO YOU DO (HE NEVER SAW YOU) *

11. NO MAN CAN FIND THE WAR

12. CARNIVAL SONG

13. CRIPPLES CRY *

14. IF THE RAIN COMES *

15. COUNTRY BOY *

16. I CAN'T LEAVE YOU LOVING ME *

Respected music magazine publishes its last issue.

By Blurt Staff

Sad news once again from the world of print music journalism: Performing Songwriter is no longer. The June 2009 issue, sent to subscribers and newsstands this week and featuring Pink on the cover, will be the final edition of the 16-year-old publication, Editor & Publisher Lydia Hutchinson announced today.

"As sad as change and letting go are, it feels like a celebration of accomplishment more than anything else," said Hutchinson, in a statement. "There was a moment of clarity after we signed off on this June issue, telling me that now is indeed the time to let go and end at its peak. This publication started with no funding 16 years ago out of my guest bedroom and has never taken one penny of investment money. It's been completely supported by advertisers, subscribers and the community it represents. Performing Songwriter has always had a big heart, and our job was to take care of it so it could do its magic. By ceasing publication now we know the magazine will never risk losing its integrity and or its quality. All of us here are grateful for this journey, and feel like we've crossed the finish line with our heads held high."

Each issue of Performing Songwriter included exclusive interviews with top artists, producers and musicians across all genres; special reports and issue-focused stories; spotlights on the latest gear for the studio and stage; album reviews, and other features devoted to the craft of songwriting.

Hutchinson founded the magazine in Nashville in 1993 with the first of its 118 issues appearing that June. Among the cover artists were Nanci Griffith [first issue], Dan Fogelberg, Bonnie Raitt, Billy Joel, Shawn Colvin, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Carole King, Vince Gill, Mary J. Blige, Harry Connick, Jr., Loretta Lynn, Maroon 5, Amy Grant, Van Morrison, Don Henley, Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac, Sheryl Crow and John Prine.

A Note from the Editor (a popular staple of each issue) was mailed to subscribers and other supporters this week with the news of the final issue. In the column titled "Endings, Beginnings & Gratitude," Hutchinson wrote: "One of my friends said that Performing Songwriter has never been just a magazine. It's the community that formed around it and supported it, and it just wore the clothes of a publication. The community is still there, steadfast and strong; it's simply time to change clothes. I don't know exactly what the outfit's going to look like, but that wonder is part of the joy. And I'm looking forward to dreaming up the next chapter, closing my eyes and taking another leap of faith. Because if I've learned one thing during these 16 years, it's that anything is possible."

The complete column is available on the Performing Songwriter website at performingsongwriter.com.

Third album due this summer...

By Blurt Staff

It's been a while since we told you about the

Arctic Monkeys.

Well great news - the Arctic Monkeys will release the band's third album on August 25.  

The as-yet-untitled album features 10 brand new songs and was produced by Josh Homme in the Mojave Desert and Los Angeles and James Ford in Brooklyn, NY.

Tracklisting:

1. My Propeller

2. Crying Lightning

3. Dangerous Animals

4. Secret Door

5. Potion Approaching

6. Fire And The Thud

7. Cornerstone

8. Dance Little Liar

9. Pretty Visitors

10. The Jeweller's Hands

Catch Arctic Monkeys live at the following:

Aug. 1 -All Points West, N,J.

Aug. 2 - Osheaga Festival, Montreal, Canada

For more information, go to Arctic Monkey's site

A force of nature: there just may never be another Queen of the Blues...

By Fred Mills

As anyone near a computer, a radio or a TV knows by now, Queen of the Blues Koko Taylor died yesterday (June 3) in Chicago. She'd recently had surgery, on May 19, for gastrointestinal bleeding and apparently post-surgical complications cropped up. The media outpouring was loud and immediate, with critics, fans and blues aficionados alike expressing their sorrow at the lost of this nearly five-decade music industry veteran and member (since 1997) of the Blues Hall of Fame.

Anyone who ever saw Taylor in concert will understand why: a larger-than-life presence when performing, she commanded the stage, stalking from one side to the other as she growled, howled and belted out her songs, eventually winding up at center mic, feet planted firmly as if daring anyone in the audience to challenger her imperial authority. And what a voice: deep and soulful, full of nuance and delicacy as the material required, but with a foghorn component that could still blow the collective socks off an audience at a thousand paces.

From her early recordings with Chess to her latterday albums on Alligator, Taylor consistently added to the rich tapestry of the blues, and it's fitting that her 2007 album Old School landed her a Blues Music Award that year for the "Traditional Blues Album of the Year."

BLURT contributor Rev. Keith A. Gordon, writing on his About.com Blues blog this morning, observed how the singer "overcame poverty, tragedy, and physical infirmity to become one of the most popular blues singers in the world, male or female. Her dynamic live performances and recordings have influenced countless young musicians, including artists like Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, and Susan Tedeschi. Taylor is survived by her husband, daughter, and other family members. Her presence in the world of the blues will be missed greatly."

Indeed she will.

[Photo Credit: Sumori/Wikipedia Commons]

First proper rec since 2001 from legendary Flying Nun mainstays.

By Blurt Staff

On September 8, The Clean will release Mister Pop (Merge), their first new studio album since 2001's Getaway. What can be said about the Clean? In 1978, they were the seeds of New Zealand punk. They carved out a big sandbox for everyone to play in, and their influence resonated not only in New Zealand but around the world.

The New York Times described The Clean:  "This New Zealand band, which has been going off and on since 1978, plays a jangly, damaged kind of guitar pop and was a primary influence on Pavement and Yo La Tengo, and therefore virtually all of current indie rock." In 2003, Merge Records released Anthology, the 2-disc compilation of tracks and song cycles from across The Clean's musical career. 

This summer's Mister Pop sees The Clean continue the great pop pastiche. Circus ragas ("Moonjumper"), gorgeously hazy sunset anthems ("In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul"), and the sometimes-loose Dada approach to wordsmithery continue right alongside "proper" lyrical forays, and a few Autobahn-referential instrumental moments to boot ("Tensile"). Robert Scott's love of pastoral UK folk has brought some added weight into the overall Clean equation, as does David Kilgour's Eastern and African guitar jones, though all this has always fit in with-and still constitutes-the total basis of The Clean sound journey.

Check out a free MP3 on us:

"In the Dreamlife You Need A Rubber Soul"

Rock Royalty Tour to run into July.

By Blurt Staff

Headed to American shores is the next (or is is original?) British Invasion. The "Rock Royalty" tour 2009 is headlined by the Zombies, featuring original members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent. Joining Blunstone and Argent are long-time bandmates Jim Rodford on bass (formerly of Argent and The Kinks), Keith Airey on guitar, and Steve Rodford on drums. The Zombies are celebrating the release of the Odessey & Oracle 40^th Anniversary Concert CD, available world-wide on iTunes and physically in the UK, Scandinavia, Japan, and select countries. A DVD of the concert is also available as an import, and there are plans to release it here in the States in 2009. The group will be playing their hits ("She's Not There," "Time of the Season,"  "Tell Her No"), songs from keyboardist/songwriter Rod Argent's ‘70s hits ("Hold Your Head Up") and - of course  -  selections from Odessey & Oracle.  Zombies' frontman Colin Blunstone also has a 2009 solo CD, Ghost Of You & Me, available as an import or through iTunes.

Joining the Zombies are the Spencer Davis Group, known for their ‘60s Brit-soul hits "I'm a Man," "Gimme Some Lovin'" and others, and pioneering rockers The Yardbirds.  Legendary as a proving ground for guitarists Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page,  this incarnation of the band features original members Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja.

TOUR DATES:

(Cities marked with * are Zombies & Yardbirds only)

FRI June 26 San Diego, CA @ Humphrey's Concert By The Bay

SAT June 27 Hollywood, CA @ The Wiltern Theatre

SUN June 28 Yountville, CA @ Lincoln Theatre

TUE June 30 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House*

THU July 2 Bellingham, WA @ Mount Baker Theatre*

WED July 8 Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre

THU July 9 Westbury, NY @ Capitol One Bank Theatre at Westbury

FRI, July 10 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

SAT July 11 Wilkes-Barre, PA @ F.M. Kirby Center

SUN July 12 Baltimore, MD @ Pier 6 Concert Pavilion

TUE July 13 Ottawa, ON @ Cisco Ottawa Blues Fest

The Zombies only:

WED July 15 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club Theatre

FRI July 17 Winnipeg, MB @ Club Regent Casino

SUN July 19 Nakusp, BC @ Nakusp Music Fest

Sorry, couldn't resist with that headline...

By Fred Mills

In our news item last week about Cheap Trick's forthcoming new album The Latest, we also included some tantalizing details about a live recording also en route from the band that would document their 2007 Hollywood Bowl performance of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's. Apparently the initial info as published at Billboard.com turned out to be incorrect, and Cheap Trick has issued a statement to that effect. Read the entire statement below.

Sorry fans. Yeah, we're kinda down about it too. But hey, what about that friggin' 8-Track version of the new rec! Ka-chunk!

Statement from Cheap Trick

A news report regarding a pending Cheap Trick Sgt. Pepper Hollywood Bowl DVD/CD was initially posted at Billboard.com and subsequently removed because that information is incorrect.  The possibility of recording at the Hollywood Bowl in 2007 and also 2008 was fully explored at the time but unfortunately the expense of recording at that venue proved to be too cost prohibitive.  We apologize for any subsequent erroneous reports that might have been picked up on other news wires.  

Just something about bein an electro pioneer...

By Blurt Staff

"Facemelting" is one description a BLURT staffer had for the new Fischerspooner video, "We Are Electric." Or, as he adds, "David Bowie and David Lynch remaking Bladerunner as a musical."

You can judge for yourself - check out the clip below.

Meanwhile, you may recall that in our review of the band's recently released album Entertainment we observed, "Being the electro-pioneers that they are, band masterminds Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner have once again evolved, taking listeners to the boundaries of what seems to be the future of synth-pop. While hints of their electroclash origins remain intact, there's a cosmic, almost space-opera like sound sprinkled throughout their latest musical adventure-think Erasure, meets Pink Floyd, meets The Postal Service."

Well, we're gonna follow up that heady assessment next week with an exclusive interview with Spooner, so keep your eyes peeled....

We Are Electric

Unreleased Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Prong and more!

By Blurt Staff

Okay, all you folks who spend the day scouring the web for freebies, here's one for you, and it won't be ripping off nobody, either:

13th Planet Records, the label helmed by Al Jourgensen of Ministry, has released a free digital EP for fans. Included in the download are unreleased songs, remixes and videos from Ministry, Revco, Prong, Burton C. Bell's Ascension of The Watchers, False Icons and Stayte.

 The download is available HERE.

13th Planet Digital Sampler Track List:

1. Ministry - "Lieslieslies (Known Unknown Lies Mix)"
2. Revolting Cocks - "Keys To The City (Barstow Bathroom Floor Mix)"
3. Prong - "3rd Option (Hold On Tight Mix)"
4. False Icons - "Transform (Trance-formation Mix)"
5. Stayte - "Coming Apart"
6. Ministry - Adios Puta Madres Trailer (video)
7. Ascension of The Watchers (featuring Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory) - Residual Presence (video)

You, too, can be a star at Grant Park - just like Obama, hey!

By Blurt Staff

Well, it's not American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance, so that's a good start! Last Band Standing, Lollapalooza's online Battle of the Bands, is back for its fourth year, with a new twist and partnership with Dell. The best DJ's from the Windy City and across the globe will battle it out online for a chance to perform at the Chicago festival August 7-9 in Grant Park. Headliners this year are Depeche Mode, Tool, The Killers, a reunited Jane's Addiction, Beastie Boys, and Kings of Leon.

This year's online competition will be hosted by the Dell Lounge and each of the four finalists will receive a new Dell Studio Laptop (not to mention full access to the whole Lollapalooza grounds, plus cash prizes, hotel accommodations and extra tix to give to friends). The last two DJ's standing will perform on a bill on the Perry's all-electronic stage with Bassnectar, MSTRKRFT, Simian Mobile Disco, and more.  
 

 
Last Band Standing Remix, kicks off June 4 when DJ's submit their best mix at the Dell Lounge site (http://www.delllounge.com/lollapalooza). Judges and fans will vote to narrow down the top 50 mixes - 25 from Chicago artists, and 25 DJs from around the globe.  From there, the competition heats up as DJs remix select tracks and assets provided by Lollapalooza artists. Then fans cast their votes for their favorite remix, with top vote-earners rocking it to the final round at Double Door in Chicago on August 5.  At the end of the multi-round, two-month campaign, two lucky and worthy DJs will earn prize spots on stage at Lollapalooza.
 

It's going to be a shoe-in this summer...

By Fred Mills

Whoa - we were still reeling from the news that both AC/DC and Metallica are going to be the next rock bands to get their own Converse Chuck Taylors when word arrived a little while ago that none other than Mastodon is getting a shoe too. This one, though, is from Converse arch-enemy Vans. As reported by Pitchfork, the so-called "MastoVans" will come in four styles (two hightops, two slip-ons) and are being pre-sold in the UK by Rhino at the moment and will be shipped on July 6.

One of those styles, dubbed the "Blood Mountain Sk8 Hi," is pictured above. View the rest HERE. Think £55.00 and you can snag a pair - that's about 89 bucks in cold hard American samolians. No word about an official U.S. rollout for the shoes yet, however.

And if that sounds a bit pricey just for a pair of canvas sneaks, well... it is. Converse's Metallica shoes run about $50, although according to the shoemaker's site the AC/DC Chucks will be priced at $50 to $80.

Converse describes the AC/DC shoes thusly:

A monochromatic black version is a simple, cool tribute to the landmark album Back in Black, complete with stitched band and album logos. Another model in ultra-premium leather includes "Back in Black" embossed on the upper, iced outsoles and a black band logo bumper on the shoe's sidewall. Graphics from Those About to Rock and the iconic image of Angus and the words "Lock Up Your Daughters" are both a rocker's dream. The Highway to Hell album rounds out the AC/DC Chuck Taylor All Star collection with a super premium high-top with the band logo both on a side bumper and visible through its clean iced-outsole.

And Metallica:

High-tops serve as the perfect backdrop for some of the most classic graphics and logos in music history.  Ride the Lightning album graphics look simple and clean with appliqué embossed patch graphics on the classic Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker.  Subtle details like logo tongue patches and midsole graphics take the band's iconography a step beyond.

How much you wanna bet you see these on eBay in about, say, 5 years, still boxed and unworn?

Erstwhile Dream Syndicate mainman delivers his umpteenth live recording...

By Fred Mills

Ah, today's morning mail was sweet - among the arrivals was Live in Brussels by Steve Wynn (accompanied by the Dragon Bridge Orchestra, a/k/a members of his band the Miracle 3 plus Chris Eckman, Chris Cacavas and Rodrigo D'Erasmo. It's a 2-CD, 1-DVD set chronicling Wynn's Crossing Dragon Bridge (review of the studio album HERE) show in Brussels last October.

We'll be having a full run-down on the album soon, but meanwhile, here's what the Wynn camp had to say about it as posted at his official website (where you can, of course, order it along with numerous other Wynn mail-order only releases):

Crossing Dragon Bridge itself was different from anything Steve had done before. There were strings, choirs, mellotron and more unexpected elements that gave the record a quiet, acoustic, melancholic sound. A very important contribution came from Chris Eckman who not only produced and engineered the record but also played many of the parts along with Steve in his Ljubljana studio. From the earliest talk of a tour to support the album it was essential that Chris be part of the live show. But the big surprise comes from Rodrigo D'Erasmo, unknown to many of you but a member of one of Italy's biggest bands, After Hours.

The show was recorded on October 2 at the Ancienne Belgique, one of the best clubs in Europe and one of Steve's favorite venues in the world. The audio and video facilities at this club are second to none and the show was captured in style. Naturally, much of CDB is represented here and taken to new levels but you can also expect to hear old favorites as well as unexpected buried treasures from Steve's career. Songs like "Boston," "That's What You Always Say" (reconfigured as almost a chamber orchestra piece!) and "Amphetamine" site side by side with "Tears Won't Help," "Here On Earth As Well" and "Silence Is Your Only Friend." Even the most familiar songs sound unlike they ever have before.

Boy howdy to that last part. We're listening to the rec right now. A fine way to start the weekend. Meanwhile, don't forget about that upcoming concert where Wynn and band will be covering the entire second Dream Syndicate album. Be there or be square.

Wynn & Miracle 3 in Italy doing "500 Girl Mornings" w/a young guest:

New Jersey supergroup w/members of Smithereens, Joe Jackson, Hussy and Lange and Roseland to do it old school style...

By Blurt Staff

Jersey band The 413s will rock Edison Day on June 6 by using century-old technology to commit its music to wax cylinder in a series of recording sessions at Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange.

"We'll be recording to wax cylinder, the first commercial format ever available, in the same way it was done in Edison's time," said guitarist Chris Bolger of Roseland, lead vocalist and co-founder of The 413s.

Other band members include drummer Dennis Diken of the Smithereens, keyboardist Steve Gaechter (of Hussy and Lange), and guitarist Mike Post, who also plays with the other fellows in The Upsiders. Rounding out The 413s is bass player Graham Maby, who has played with Joe Jackson for more than 30 years. Maby took part in a similar recording event at the museum several years ago with They Might Be Giants.

They will be recording original songs written by Bolger and Diken, who are currently working on a 413s CD and have done some recording in Bolger's basement studio. But the Edison museum sessions require a different approach to compensate for the early-day recording methods.

"We have to use instrumentation which will be the most compatible with the technology we're using. And the songs will have to be short, even by recent pop song standards, due to the limited running time of cylinders," Bolger explained.

The method of capturing sound is non-electric, he added. Like their counterparts who recorded for Edison at the turn of the 20th century (including Bolger's aunt, vocalist Estelle Leslie), The 413s will play in front of a large horn that will serve as their microphone.

The June 6 sessions, planned as part of the museum's special day honoring the inventor and recording pioneer, are open to the public and are scheduled for 11:30 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm at the Thomas Edison Historical Park.  Visitors should get tickets on June 6 at Edison's home Glenmont, located at 37 Honeysuckle Avenue, Llewellyn Park , West Orange, NJ. 

Hours of the park on June 6 are 10 am to 4 pm.  For more information about Edison Day and other museum events, contact the visitor information telephone at 973-324-9973, or the Thomas Edison National Historical Park office at 973-736-0550. 

Thomas Edison National Historical Park website:  http://www.nps.gov/edis

Gifted singer-songwriter had issued three acclaimed albums on Kill Rock Stars

By Fred Mills

Sad news in the indie community. Kill Rock Stars recording artist Jeff Hanson was found dead Friday at his apartment in St. Paul, Minn. According to a report filed by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune the cause of death was most likely due to "a fall or other accident at the concrete floored apartment," according to Hanson's sister Sara. He was 31.

Since signing to KRS in 2003, Hanson had released three acclaimed albums, notably 2008's Madam Owl. In our review of the album we observed "the loveliness of Hanson's material demands [close] listen, given the nimble folk-finesse imbued in each of these offerings. With strings and the steady strum of an acoustic guitar providing quiet accompaniment, Hanson's voice melds assurance and affirmation to a subdued set of songs.

According to the newspaper report Hanson grew up in Waukesha, Wis., and had divorced last year but did not have any children. His sister "emphasized that her brother never had any trouble with substance abuse."

BLURT extends our heartfelt condolences to Hanson's sister and parents.

Rocker discovered "slumped in a toilet" on an airplane.

By Fred Mills

The British media is reporting that Pete Doherty is back up to his old tricks, i.e., making tabloid headlines for his drug misadventures. Apparently he arrested in Switzerland on Friday after being found slumped in a toilet on board a British Airways flight to Geneva. He was scheduled to perform that evening at the Neuchatel Open Air festival.

According to the Sunday Mail Doherty was "escorted back to his economy class seat apparently intoxicated" and a crew member found a hypodermic needle in the toilet compartment. A passenger on the flight was quoted as saying, "A few people on the plane recognised Pete and he went to the bathroom more than halfway into the flight. He had been in there for about 25 minutes when the announcement came over the tannoy for the crew to prepare the flight for landing. The crew knocked on the door but Pete didn't come out. They eventually managed to get in 10 minutes before the plane landed. Pete was taken back to his seat and he looked completely out of it. One of the crew took a needle out of the toilet wrapped in a tissue."

Doherty was arrested by Geneva police, fined, then released in time for his appearance at the music festival. He is presumably back in London now, planning for the next round of interviews in which he tells the British press he's clean and sober and working on his next record, blah blah blah....

An Old Fashioned Revue Featuring Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine (Feat. Gillian Welch), The Felice Brothers, and Justin Townes Earle.

By Blurt Staff

It's a rolling thunder traveling Americana revue.

Born out of a deep running comradery built on countless tours and ties between a host of excellent musicians comes THE BIG SURPRISE TOUR, a traveling show of epic collaboration and good times. Kicking off in Hampton Beach, NH on August 4th, THE BIG SURPRISE TOUR is not your standard up down up down line up.  Shows will be composed of two 90-minute sets broken up by an intermission.  In a free form ramshackle flow the bands and artists will share the stage, taking part in each other's songs, resurrecting old standards, and playing newly written collaborative material as they go.  Each evening is sure to be a unique experience as they all put their many combined years of musicianship and knowledge of song-craft and American music into play for these sessions.

Ketch Secor from Old Crow Medicine Show (pictured, above) speaks of the special relationship these bands have and the parts they've played in their own individual journey as musicians. "Seven Years ago when Old Crow first met Dave Rawlings and Gilllian Welch at the Station Inn in Nashville, we stayed up till dawn singing Stan Rogers songs and playing AC/DC licks.  Three weeks later we were making a record.  They were that rusted sign at the fork in the road showing OCMS just where it was headed." With the Felice Brothers as Secor explains it, "with their rockin' unruliness, we found where we had come from in the first place. Music is a mobius strip, contort all ya want and you'll keep winding up where you started."  Justin Townes Earle is "looking forward to being on tour with folks that are kindred spirits. We all have similar influences, which will be reflected in the covers we do during the show and our collaborations on stage."  For their part, James Felice reminisces that they've "traveled around the country with Justin and Cory (of Justin Townes Earle) playing some pretty bizarre gigs.  We couldn't love those guys more."  "As for Old Crow..." he says, "they cleaned us out playing dice more than once." 

Borrowing from the title of a Felice Brothers' track, THE BIG SURPRISE TOUR will live up to its namesake.  As Secor states, the audience should "expect the unexpected!"  "Music is wild and not tame" he says, and with this tour the artists involved hope to fully unleash the true and unpredictable spirit of creativity. 

Tour Dates:

04 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Casino Ballroom
05 - Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
06 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
07 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
09 - Charlottesville, VA @ Charlottesville Pavilion
10 - Cary, NC @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre
12 - Louisville, KY @ Waterfront Park
13 - Nashville, TN @ Riverfront Park
14 - Knoxville, TN @ World's Fair Park

Claim they ripped off "It's A Shame About Ray".

By Fred Mills

No, that headline above isn't us being snarky again: the Lemonheads frontman is indeed suing General Motors, according to a report filed by Billboard.biz. According to a filing in federal court last week, Dando is suing GM and ad/licensing firm Asche & Spencer Music over their having arranged to have Lemonheads hit "It's A Shame About Ray" re-recorded for use in a 2008 ad campaign for Chevys and Buicks.

Not totally dissimilar to that lawsuit awhile back when Tom Waits successfully sued Frito-Lay for using a Waits soundalike singer in an ad, Dando's suit is alleging that GM copied his original music in what amounts to a copyright violation. He's seeking damages and a portion of profits.

Unlike the Waits lawsuit, however, it would have to be proven that the music in question is indeed the same as "Ray"'s, and that GM failed to pay a fee to license the tune. Plus, unless Dando's the sole copyright owner of the song, it's not enough for him to complain that his music was used against his wishes; as we found out during last year's political campaign, if a song's publisher - typically, not the actual songwriter - agrees to its use and the appropriate fees are in fact paid, there's not much the songwriter can do about it.

This is all well and good of course and Dando certain has the right to sue GM. But let's do the math here: if YOU wanted to pick up some spare dough and were fishing around for someone to sue, the first person or entity that comes to mind just might not be a company currently going through bankruptcy proceedings. Maybe pick a target with a bit less baggage, a lot more available cash, and in a considerably less complicated situation, hmmm?

Here's hoping Dando got permission (and paid all necessary fees) for all those songs written by other people that he covered on the new Lemonheads album Varshons! Watch for a review of that in the new issue of BLURT.

Below is the Chevy ad using the music in question, so decide for yourself if Dando's in the right or not. Meanwhile, just for fun, after that check out the video for the Lemonhead Chevy!

We KNEW it!

By Randy Harward

Okay, so it was no secret that producer/convicted killer Phil Spector's poofy hair-sphere was fake. But thanks to The Smoking Gun we have proof. Enjoy the wigless mugshot, guys. We're certainly getting our kicks.

American Masters series synched with the release of that DVD box...

By Fred Mills

The latest installment in PBS' acclaimed American Masters series airs this Wednesday night and it's none other than Neil Young. Titled Don't Be Denied (after the Young song of the same name), the documentary airs at 9pm EST, although dates and times may vary depending on the PBS system you're on.

According to PBS, "The film explores how Young's unbending dedication to the muse has created an awe-inspiring body of work and bruised a few egos along the way." It's a BBC production with Ben Whalley as producer and director; Mark Cooper is the producer for the BBC, while Susan Lacy is the creator and executive producer of American Masters.

"There's no denying Neil Young as music's most uncompromising rock royalty," said Lacy, in  a statement. "He's an irreverent poet with a rock and roll heart. His music embodies the arc of American experience, challenges authoritative views, defies industry pigeon-holing and continues to have an impact on musicians and fans worldwide."

Hey, we are all about irreverent poets with rock ‘n' roll hearts!

At any rate, you can view a brief preview clip at the PBS site. Not all that coincidentally, Young's massive 10-DVD Archives collection was issued last week. Raise your hand if you spotted the Blu-ray version on special at Amazon.com for only $238.00 - it's going for 300 bucks most places, and after about a day Amazon jacked the price up to $279. Score!

Young doing "Helpless" at Massey Hall in '71:

One 7" + one 12" = Merge Fun!

By Blurt Staff

Merge is releasing brand new songs from Superchunk & Destroyer exclusively on vinyl this summer!  First up, Superchunk will release a brand new 7″, "Crossed Wires" b/w "Blinders (Fast Vers.)" on July 7.  On August 18, we will release the new Destroyer EP, Bay of Pigs, on 12-inch vinyl only.

Superchunk's "Crossed Wires" b/w "Blinders (Fast Vers.)" was produced by Scott Solter (John Vanderslice, The Mountain Goats) at Overdub Lane in Durham, NC, and will be available in a limited edition of 1,000 copies on clear vinyl. "Crossed Wires" comes in a beautiful picture sleeve featuring artwork by New York artist, Will Yackulic, and comes with a digital download code that gets you both songs plus a demo version of "Crossed Wires." 

Destroyer's Bay of Pigs is a two song EP with over 20 minutes of new Destroyer material. At 13:37, "Bay of Pigs" is the longest of Destroyer songs.  It is also Destroyer's first foray into the  ambient disco market.  The song was recorded throughout the winter of 2009 with longtime Destroyer collaborators/members John Collins and David Carswell at their JCDC Studio in downtown Vancouver.  "Bay of Pigs" is an account of the 1961 American invasion of Cuba, often referred to as The Bay Of Pigs.

The music for "Ravers" was played entirely on analogue synthesizer, and recorded, by Ted Bois (Destroyer, Pink Mountaintops) in April 2009.  It explores some of the more meditative realms of 20th Century classical composition.  The song itself is a casual rumination on parties, political parties, madness and suffering (for one's art).

Destroyer will be on tour in July on the East Coast, and Superchunk will play a free show at South Street Seaport in New York on July 17th. Both bands will perform as part of XX Merge at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro July 22-26.

Respected singer-songwriter dies after battle with lung cancer.

By Fred Mills

More sad news from the singer-songwriter world: soft-rock great Kenny Rankin passed away yesterday, June 7, following a short battle with lung cancer. Full details are sketchy at this time - the news is so recent that his official website isn't listing it yet - but according to a post at eJazzNews.com, he was diagnosed just a few weeks ago with stage IV lung cancer and he died "with his loving family by his side."

Rankin was a mainstay of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s pop/folk scene, and his deft guitar work also helped him cross over to the jazz milieu. He had a number of chart hits in the ‘70s - 1976's The Kenny Rankin Album was a mainstay of college dorms back in the day, while 1980's After the Roses was another critical favorite. His songs were also covered by numerous other performers, including Stephen Bishop who cracked the top 20 in '77 with Rankin's "On and On." His last studio album was 2002's A Song For You, although 1999's live album The Bottom Line Encore Collection is considered an eminently worthy entry in his discography.

Will be on the road for the rest of the month and well into July...

By Fred Mills

BLURT heroes the Strange Boys are back out on the road supporting their long-playing debut The Strange Boys...And Girls Club (In The Red). We previously gave you the low-down on the band, observing in our review of the album, "What comes through the loudest here is an uncommon ability to assimilate and hybridize extant forms - garage, punk, psych, blues, country and soul - and then to spew it back out, Basement Tapes style, as something utterly, and compellingly, fresh."

We are BLURT and we approved that message. Meanwhile, here's some solid spew from In The Red if you need more convincing. We've seen the band live, and they kick ass, period....

 Strange Boys evoke a wild-eyed, porcelain-skinned innocence that is capable of summoning the wayward spirit of Brian Jones. The mystery of the South couples with the mastery of rhythm making to create a sound that is completely timeless and familiar, yet absolutely raw and avant-garde. Greg Enlow's syncopated, organ-driven grooves hark back to The Seeds' "Pushing too Hard" while guitarist Ryan Sambol's acute voice wavers beyond compare. Older brother Philip Sambol keeps the pulse with the aptly named Matt Hammer, who unmercifully pounds an old Ludwig set.
 

Tour Dates:

06.08.09 Mon New Orleans, LA Saturn Bar *
06.09.09 Tue Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn *
06.10.09 Wed Greensboro, NC UNCG / Square One *
06.11.09 Thu Washington, DC Comet Pizza and Ping Pong *
06.12.09 Fri Baltimore, MD Sonar*#$
06.13.09 Sat Brooklyn, NY Market Hotel *#
06.14.09 Sat Queens, NY Todd P Unamplified Acoustic BBQ / Fort Tilden Beach
06.14.09 Sun New York, NY Cake Shop *&
06.15.09 Mon Philadelphia, PA Danger Danger Gallery *
06.16.09 Tue Worcester, MA Ralph's Diner *
06.17.09 Wed Rochester, NY Bug Jar
06.18.09 Thu Cleveland, OH Now That's Class
06.19.09 Fri Fort Wayne, IN Brass Rail
06.20.09 Sat Columbus, OH Cafe Bourbon St *
06.22.09 Mon Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen *
06.23.09 Tue Minneapolis, MN First-Avenue *
06.24.09 Wed Iowa City, IA Public Space 1 *
06.25.09 Thu Lawrence, KS Jackpot Music Hall *
06.26.09 Fri Denver, CO Hi-Dive *
06.27.09 Sat Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court *
06.29.09 Mon Los Angeles, CA The Smell *
06.30.09 Tue Los Angeles, CA The Echo
07.02.09 Thu San Francisco, CA Hemlock #
07.03.09 Fri San Jose, CA Nickel City #^
07.04.09 Sat Los Angeles, CA Videothing Party
07.05.09 Sun Santa Cruz, CA The Crepe Place
07.06.09 Mon San Diego, CA Casbah #
07.07.09 Tue Tucson, AZ Plush #
07.09.09 Thu Lubbock, TX Bash Riprock's #
07.10.09 Fri Dallas, TX The Lounge on Elm St. #
07.11.09 Sat Austin, TX Stubb's (SPOONX3) +

* = w/ Mika Miko
# = w/ The Coathangers
$ = w/ The Death Set
& = w/ Silk Flowers
^ = w/ Nodzzz
+ = w/ Spoon, Atlas Sound

Video for "Woe Is You and Me":

Famed bassist (1945-2009) was a member of Soft Machine and a mainstay of the Canterbury scene.

By Fred Mills

The progressive rock world - hell, the entire music world - lost a giant on Sunday, June 7, when Hugh Hopper, bassist for the mighty Soft Machine, passed away at the age of 64. According to a report filed by Jazzwise magazine, Hopper had been suffering from leukemia, although full details of his death remain sketchy at the moment. (Last December there was a Hugh Hopper benefit concert in London to help raise funds for Hopper's chemotherapy treatments.)

As part of Britain's vaunted Canterbury scene, Hopper had been a member of both the Daevid Allen trio and the Wilde Flowers. Later, after members of the latter group formed the Soft Machine, Hopper worked as the road manager then assumed bass duties around the time of the second album, 1969's Volume Two. (During this period he also appeared along with other members of the band on Syd Barrett's solo album The Madcap Laughs.) He remained with the Soft Machine until around 1972-73, after which time he worked with scores of progressive rock and jazz groups and musicians, including Isotope, Gilgamesh, the Carla Bley Band, Stomu Yamashta, Elton Dean, Keith Tippet, Pip Pyle, Soft Heap and Cahoots.

Most recently he'd teamed with several former Soft Machine members as Soft Machine Legacy, recording and performing both vintage and new compositions.

Claims it will feel so good when he stops but we'd prefer him to keep playing... meanwhile, something about a special Sub Pop single, too.

By Blurt Staff

Joe Pernice will hit the road for about a dozen dates with a special show that combines music with prose, in support of the release of It Feels So Good When I Stop (Novel Soundtrack), which is a companion piece to his debut novel It Feels So Good When I Stop. The record (CD and digital download) will be released on August 4 on Pernice's own Ashmont Records, and the book will be published August 6 by Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin.  Pernice will perform solo.  

According to Pernice, "Though the book is not explicitly about music, there are quite a few cover and fictional songs mentioned, so I thought it would be a cool idea for me to record some of those songs and release them, as a soundtrack album to the novel. 

Rather than do a reading-only tour for the book and a music-only tour for the album, Pernice decided to mash the two together, and combine reading sections of the book with performing songs from the book/album.  Said Pernice, "My brain is mush from raising a kid, but I can't recall the author of a novel - who also happens to have been making records for 15 years - who has recorded and released an album of the songs in that novel. And to combine all those things into a single show could be kind of interesting and entertaining for the fans. Unless I completely suck, in which case it's going to be extremely interesting for all parties."

One of the fictional songs in the book is "Black Smoke (No Pope)" which will be released on a three-song Sub Pop single on August 4, by The Young Accuser, a band from the novel.  In the book, the narrator, who is not Joe, is in The Young Accuser for a short time. After the fictional narrator leaves this fictional band, they fictionally record the fictional song "Black Smoke (No Pope)" and send it to the non-fictional Sub Pop. This is the non-fiction version of that fictional single. Of interest may be the fact that a cover of an even earlier, more fictional "Black Smoke (No Pope)" was recorded by the non-fictional Joe Pernice and appears on the non-fictional It Feels So Good When I Stop (Soundtrack).

Opening the east coast shows will be The Walsh Brothers, a Boston-bred, Los Angeles-based comedy duo, called "amazing" by Steven Wright. In 2003, the David and Chris Walsh created the Great & Secret Comedy Show, a mashup of comedy that quickly became an underground sensation. For several years the show was named "Best of Boston" by various media and the Walsh Brothers "Best Comics." Local success soon got the attention of national talent scouts, who selected the brothers to perform at the prestigious U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, CO in 2006. Their half hour show won them a Silver Owl award and paved the way for a month-long run at the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since their debut on the national and international stage, the Walshes have created original internet content for Sony and are working with Comedy Central to develop a show about their lives.  This will be their first rock tour, even though it's not really a rock tour.

Pernice's handlers further advise that his show contains adult material and is not suitable for children, no matter how mature you may think they are. It is also not suitable for people over 65, or for Joe's sister Judy. Said Pernice, "I'm not too worried about offending the easily offended. I figure the Walsh Brothers will clear them out LONG before I hit the stage."

Confirmed Tour Dates (more tba):

 Wednesday, August 5: Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA, two shows.

Friday, August 7: Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

Saturday August 8: Tin Angel, Philadelphia, PA

Sunday, August 9: Iota Club, Arlington, VA

It Feels So Good When I Stop (Novel Soundtrack) Track listing:

Found A Little Baby (Plush)

Go To Pieces (Del Shannon)

I'm Your Puppet (James and Bobby Purify)

Soul and Fire (Sebadoh)

Chevy Van (Sammy Johns)

Tell Me When It's Over (The Dream Syndicate)

Chim Chim Cheroo (Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews)

Black Smoke, No Pope (The Young Accuser)

That's How I Got to Memphis (Tom T. Hall)

Hello It's Me (Todd Rundgren)

Playing both the SF and LA stores to support new album.

By Blurt Staff

On Monday, June 22, Elvis Costello will celebrate the release of his new album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane (released last week by Hear Music) by performing free in-store shows at Amoeba Record's San Francisco and Hollywood locations.  Costello will kick off his one day Amoeba Music Tour at Noon PT with a performance at Amoeba San Francisco, then fly south for  a performance at 8pm PT at Amoeba Hollywood.

At each stop Costello will not only perform, but also sign copies of the new CD for fans.  Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Jim Lauderdale will accompany Costello for each of these acoustic sets.

Amoeba will stream the Hollywood in-store on amoeba.com live at 8pm PT, and Amoeba Music's A.V. team will be hitting the road with Costello to document his one day performance marathon, with both performances posted on amoeba.com for viewing after the in-stores.

A special commemorative silkscreened poster will be made for the event and given away with purchase of the Secret, Profane & Sugarcane CD on the day of the performances.

Getting' down with that west African sound...

By Blurt Staff

We previously told you about the mighty western North Carolina-based Afrobeat rockers Toubab Krewe. Now comes word that the band will hit the road this summer for a tour in support of their album, Live at the Orange Peel. The tour kicks-off this week at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh and includes performances at numerous other festivals including Bonnaroo (June 11-14) and ROTHBURY (July 2-5). 

This year will mark Toubab Krewe's third performance at Bonnaroo, their first since 2006 (Video of that performance is online at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Htd73_04JU). Video of this year's performance will be streamed at www.music.att.net (June 12; 12:30-1:30 P.M. EST).

Toubab Krewe will also headline two nights at the Festivus for the Restivus (July 17-19), an annual festival thrown by Toubab Krewe bassist Dave Pransky on his family's farm in Cabot, VT. Other performers at Festivus include Malian superstar Oumou Sangare, Midnite, Barrington Levy and Black Sheep. 

Joining Toubab Krewe at Festivus and at select summer tour dates will be legendary Jamaican guitarist Earl "China" Smith. Perhaps the most sought after lead guitarist in reggae, Smith has performed and recorded with everyone from Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh and Burning Spear to more recent pop icons like Lauren Hill, Erykah Badu and Joss Stone. Toubab Krewe recently joined Smith at his home studio in Kingston, where they collaborated on several as-yet unreleased recordings. On his first tour of the U.S. with Toubab Krewe, Smith will join the band on-stage for what are sure to be special collaborations, infusing his diverse talents and influences into Toubab Krewe's already unique blend of styles. 

Tour dates:

June 10 | Pittsburgh, PA | Three Rivers Arts Festival

June 11-14 | Manchester, TN | Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

w/ special guest Rayna Gellert on fiddle

June 18 | Knoxville, TN | Sundown in the City

June 18 | Knoxville, TN | Square Room (Sundown in the City After Party)

June 19 | Greenville, SC | Gott Rocks

June 20 | Raleigh, NC | North Carolina Museum of Art

June 26 | Richmond, VA | Brown's Island (Friday Cheers Series)

July 2-5  | Rothbury, MI | ROTHBURY Festival

July 15  | New York, NY | Rocks OFF! Concert Cruise

w/ special guest Earl "Chinna" Smith

July 17-18 | Cabot, VT | Festivus for the Restivus (The Manifestivus)

w/ special guest Earl "Chinna" Smith

July 24-25  | Floyd, VA | Floyd Festival

w/ special guest Earl "Chinna" Smith

July 31-Aug. 1 | Atlanta, GA | Smith's Olde Bar

w/ special guest Earl "Chinna" Smith

August 7 | Bozeman, MT| Sweet Pea Festival

August 13  | Gore, VA | Camp Barefoot

August 14 | Greensburg, PA | Summer Sounds Concerts in the Park

August 21-22 | Greensboro, NC | Blind Tiger

[Photo: Daniel Barojas]

Long-running jazz magazine halts publication with the May issue, seeks to finalize sale of its assets and reorganize.

By Fred Mills

Late yesterday the following news was posted at the website of D.C.-based JazzTimes magazine:

To our readers and members of the jazz community:

JazzTimes has temporarily suspended publication of the magazine and has furloughed the bulk of its staff while it finalizes a sale of its assets. The brand and operation will undergo reorganization and restructuring in order to remain competitive in the current media climate. Print publishing is expected to resume as soon as a sale is closed. New information and statements will be posted at www.jazztimes.com as they become available.

Thank you for your patience during this challenging period. - JazzTimes Management

And thus yet another respected music publication ceases operation - "temporarily suspended publication" is how JT is terming it, in hopes of reorganizing and eventually returning to newsstands. Rumors have been flying for weeks about the long-running jazz mag's health and that the owners were seeking a buyer. So there's not much more that can be said while industry watchers sit back and wait to see what the ultimate outcome will be. At this time there's no official word whether or not a buyer will be found for JazzTimes, which was founded in 1970 as Radio Free Jazz in Washington D.C. by Ira Sabin.

JazzTimes' destiny, many of you will remember, is linked by lineage with BLURT's: in March of 2008, BLURT's immediate predecessor Harp shut down. Three of the principals at JazzTimes (as Guthrie, Inc.) held a controlling interest in Harp, and they had determined that in their eyes it wasn't sufficiently profitable. Those of us at BLURT who at the time were working for Harp weren't necessarily in agreement with that assessment, but after some protracted negotiations that ultimately broke down, the JazzTimes guys made it clear that it was their intention to kill Harp and to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Among the reasons cited for Harp's supposed nonprofitability: the "consolidation of the consumer magazine newsstand business" and a "precipitous decline of the music software industry." (We were never completely certain what that latter phrase - it sounded suspiciously like doublespeak - meant, for while the record business certainly had been going through a prolonged period of contraction nobody held any illusions about the industry as a whole going the way of the dinosaurs.)

You can read the story about the Harp closing HERE.

The announcement about Harp was made, ironically, while we staffers were in Austin at SXSW helping to host a couple of parties. We were also about 3/4 of the way through finishing up the May issue and had to come to a screeching halt on that rather than go out on a high note, so it all felt particularly cold-blooded, and it's no secret in the publishing and music industries that bitter feelings over the whole deal linger to this day between some of the individuals involved.

Meanwhile, it was exactly one year ago today that BLURT officially launched. At the time we'd certainly experienced having the wind knocked out of our sails, and having Harp get the axe didn't leave anyone feeling good; salaried positions were lost, contributors and creditors took it on the chin, and other folks in the music industry who'd come to count on our coverage realized they suddenly had one less advocate. But in the wake of that debacle, we'd pledged to at least try our hardest to come back in some form and pick up where we left off with Harp. There was clearly an element of, "Okay, we'll show the bastards" at play, but as one of my fellow staffers quipped, "I don't really know what else I can do at this point. I'm essentially unemployable except as a music writer." So we did come back, and here we are a year later, with five digital magazines and one print issue under our belt and about to publish our second print BLURT.

The point I'm circling around to, one which I've made over and over again whenever yet another music magazine has bitten the dust over the past year or so, from No Depression shortly before the news about Harp hit to the recent shutterings of Performing Songwriter and Radio & Records, is that we need to have a multiplicity of voices. There's too much great music out there that needs exposure for anyone to be silenced. So whenever one of those voices does in fact go silent, it hurts all of us in the long term.

Mixed feelings about JazzTimes aside, we at BLURT can only hope that the writers and staffers of the magazine find a way to continue on collectively or individually in their quest to support the jazz community and to support music in general.

Headless Heroes, Esser, Jeffrey Lewis, Curumin, Kendel Carson, Ty Segall, Lady Sovereign, Paolo Nutini

By Blurt Staff

It's officially New Music Tuesday at BLURT, which means, quite logically, you can hear some new music today (Tuesday, duh) at BLURT.

What, pray tell, is the new music in question? Glad you asked! Glom onto these ace MP3s:

Headless Heroes -Nobody's Baby Now (Nick Cave Cover) (from The Silence of Love)

Esser - Long Arms (from I Love You, Chocolate Industries)

Jeffrey Lewis - Slogans (from ‘Em Are I, Rough Trade Records)

Curumin - Sambito (Totaru Shock) (from Japan Pop Show, Quannum Projects)

Kendel Carson - Lady K. (from Alright Dynamite, Train Wreck Records)

Ty Segall - It # 1 (from Lemons, Goner Records)

Lady Sovereign - Pennies (Kill The Noise Remix) (from "Pennies" (Kill the Noise Remix) RCRD LBL)

Paolo Nutini - Candy (from Sunny Side Up, Atlantic Records).

Just click on the BLURT Radio icon on the right-hand side of our homepage and wait for the music player to pop up in a separate window. Then enjoy some fine listening!

And check back every Tuesday, same BLURT-time, same BLURT-channel, to hear the latest streaming goodies, all personally netted, vetted and hand-selected by our trained staff of highly evolved primates. Why? Because at BLURT, we care.

Merge 20th celebration begins with original choreographed dances to the music of The Rosebuds, Spoon, Arcade Fire & more.

By Blurt Staff

On Saturday, July 18, at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC, the Triangle Youth Ballet will present Merge with Motion, a dance performance in a unique rock music setting celebrating Merge Records' 20th anniversary. The evening will include world-premiere dance works set to music by Merge artists, along with a live performance by The Rosebuds. The Rosebuds will play one of their old favorites in addition to debuting a new musical work composed especially for Merge with Motion as dancers perform simultaneously onstage.

Original contemporary ballet, rhythm tap, and modern dance will be performed by world class choreographers including: Amanda Miller (Chapel Hill/Pretty Ugly, Germany), North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (Chapel Hill), Pamela Pietro (American Dance Festival Faculty/Tisch-NYU), Sidelong Dance Co. (Winston-Salem), and others.

In addition to The Rosebuds, performers will dance to music from Arcade Fire, Caribou, Destroyer, the Magnetic Fields, Polvo, Richard Buckner, Spaceheads, Spoon and more.

Merge with Motion

Saturday, July 18, 2009, 7:30pm

The Carolina Theatre, Fletcher Hall

309 W. Morgan Street

Durham, NC

$15/$17 Advance

$21 Day of show

Tickets are available online and at the Carolina Theatre box office. Box office hours are 11am-6pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour before showtime.

Odds ‘n' sods collection plus a live CD/DVD set.

By Blurt Staff

Drive-By Truckers recently dug into the New West Records vaults, with guidance from longtime producer Dave Barbe, and put finishing touches on a selection of songs that were never quite completed.  "For me, it's been a fun stroll through memory lane and a chance to tie up some loose ends" says Patterson Hood.  The result of the collaboration is The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008), a 12-track album of previously unreleased and rare songs, available September 1.  This summer New West will also release the band's entire Austin City Limits performance as a CD / DVD combination pack as a part of the Live From Austin, TX line.   

The Fine Print features songs written by band members past and present, including Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell.  7 of the twelve songs come from The Dirty South era... a highly creative time for DBT.  Hood explains "That was an especially fertile period for the band, as we more or less wrote that album and the one before it, Decoration Day, as well as my first solo album all in a three year period as we were recording and touring behind Southern Rock Opera."  The record also contains four covers including "Rebels" by Tom Petty, which the band recorded originally for the TV show "King Of The Hill" and "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan which provided Shonna Tucker with her first ever lead vocal performance on a DBT recording.  


Drive-By Truckers graced the Austin City Limits stage on September 26, 2008 while touring for their last studio album Brighter Than Creation's Dark.  A CD/DVD combination package featuring the entire performance will be available on July 7th, 2009.  The 13 songs, which were filmed in Hi-Def and recorded in 5.1 Surround Sound for the critically acclaimed PBS show, include a mix of new songs from Brighter Than Creation's Dark alongside the classics "Let There Be Rock" and "18 Wheels Of Love" (off their second album Gangstabilly) and "Marry Me" (from Decoration Day).  The band line-up featured is Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Shonna Tucker, John Neff, Brad Morgan and Jay Gonzalez.

THE FINE PRINT TRACK LIST:

1. George Jones Talkin' Cell Phone Blues
2. Rebels
3. Uncle Frank (alternate version)
4. TVA
5. Goode's Field Road (alternate version)
6. The Great Car Dealer War
7. Mama Bake A Pie  (Daddy Kill A Chicken)
8. When The Well Runs Dry
9. Mrs. Claus' Kimono
10. Play It All Night Long
11. Little Pony And The Great Big Horse
12. Like A Rolling Stone

LIVE FROM AUSTIN, TX Track List:

1. Perfect Timing
2. Heathens
3. A Ghost To Most
4. The Righteous Path
5. I'm Sorry Huston
6. 3 Dimes Down
7. Puttin' People On The Moon
8. Space City
9. The Living Bubba
10. Zip City
11. 18 Wheels Of Love
12. Let There Be Rock
13. Marry Me

Psychedelia out the wazoo, and then some...

By Blurt Staff

This week, in celebration of their new Tee Pee recs album, the Rod Cervera-produced The Mirror Explodes, LA-based psychedelicists the Warlocks have just announced a headlining US tour, taking them from coast-to-coast and back again. It kicks off at the end of July and will be preceded by a UK tour.

The band recently premiered their video for new song Red Camera and you can view it here.

Tour Dates:

Jul 10 2009 La Maroquinerie Paris
Jul 14 2009 The Other Rooms Newcastle, Wales
Jul 15 2009 Fibbers York, Northeast
Jul 16 2009 Roadhouse Manchester
Jul 17 2009 Monochrome Liverpool
Jul 18 2009 The Bodega Nottingham
Jul 19 2009 The Rainbow Rooms Birmingham, Midlands
Jul 20 2009 Barfly Cardiff, Wales
Jul 21 2009 Thekla Bristol, Southwest
Jul 22 2009 Southend Railway Hotel Essex, East
Jul 23 2009 Hoxton Square Bar &Kitchen London, London and South East
Jul 24 2009 Audio Brighton, South
Jul 25 2009 Joiners Southampton, London and South East


July 30 Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
Aug 1 Chop Suey Seattle, WA
Aug 2 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR
Aug 5 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
Aug 6 Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
Aug 7 Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
Aug 8 Grog Shop Cleveland, OH
Aug 11 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, PA
Aug 12 Great Scott Allston, MA
Aug 14 Bowery Ballroom, NYC
Aug 15 Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ
Aug 17 Local 506 Carrboro, NC
Aug 18 The Earl Atlanta, GA
Aug 19 The Bottletree Birmingham, AL
Aug 20 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, LA
Aug 21 The Parish Austin, TX
Aug 22 Walter's on Washington Houston, TX
Aug 26 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
Aug 27 The Casbah San Diego, CA
Aug 28 Venue TBA Los Angeles, CA
Aug 29 Venue TBA Los Angeles, CA

In life, there are only four sure things: birth, death, taxes, and....

By Fred Mills

With Courtney Love laying relatively low (she hasn't even been Twittering the past week or so) we're forced to turn our gaze overseas for our music trainwreck news fix, and sure enough, there slouches Pete Doherty, amiable and willing to deliver. To wit:

Britain's Guardian is reporting that the Babyshambles frontman was picked up early this a.m. on "suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of drugs." As opposed to "suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs," we suppose - not that anyone would imagine Doherty would simultaneously be possessing AND taking the dope, eh?

Apparently Doherty was spotted "driving erratically" after a gig in Gloucester, whose police spokesman told reporters, "At approximately 12.30am officers on patrol in Eastgate Street saw a car being driven erratically, it continued down Barton Street and was stopped in Derby Road. A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, possession of drugs and failure to stop for police, he remains in custody at this time."

Well, all right then! Doherty could have avoided all this, of course, had he simply allowed himself to remain in custody by Geneva police after that little syringe-in-the-airplane-toilet incident earlier this week....

First full-length in 25 years from the dub-punk legends.

By Blurt Staff

Narnack Records will be releasing Trapped Animal, the first full-length release from The Slits in over 25 years. (2009 also marks the 30th anniversary of The Slits debut album Cut.) It's due on October 6.

The Slits became a part of the punk pantheon with songs that even today continue to be meditations on alienation and angst. With Trapped Animal , The Slits remain the same genre bending band they were in their inception, still standing out from the rest of the pack. In the title track they examine how the conveniences that surround us in today's modern world have also trapped us. Other tracks include "Pay Rent" which focuses on the everyday struggle artists face trying to pay the bills through their art along with the sexually charged "Lazy Slam". "Ask Ma" will be out as a single in August and will be your first taste of Trapped Animal 

The current lineup features original members Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt along with Hollie Cook (daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook), Anna Schlute and Adele Wilson.

 In addition to the new album, a book about the band, Typical Girls? The Story Of The Slits written by Zoe Street Howe, is scheduled to be published in the Fall. Meanwhile go HERE for the band's backstory.

Track Listing

1. Ask Ma
2. Lazy Slam
3. Pay Rent
4. Reject
5. Trapped Animals
6. Issues
7. Peer Pressure
8. Partner From Hell
9. Babylon
10. Cry Baby
11. Reggae Gypsy
12. Be It
13. Cant Relate
14. Had A Day

Will feature profiles of Arcade Fire, Spoon, Magnetic Fields, Superchunk, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lambchop, Butterglory and others.

By Blurt Staff

This fall, to celebrate Merge Records' 20^th anniversary, Algonquin Books chronicles their achievements by releasing Our Noise: The Story Of Merge Records, The Indie Label That Got Big And Stayed Small. Written by  John Cook (with Superchunk/Merge founders Mac McCaughan and Laura Balance) and featuring an introduction penned by Ryan Adams, the 304-page book is due in stores September 15.

Here's the scoop, courtesy Merge and the publisher:

Launched by two 20-year-olds, Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance, in a rented home in the late 1980s, Merge Records had the humble beginnings of a great success story. Hand-labeling and shipping each record themselves, Mac and Laura started to make their mark on the independent music scene. They gained popularity by fronting the popular pop-punk band Superchunk, one of Merge's first bands, in the mid-90s. Over time, the label has become known for discovering some of the best indie bands in the country.

Twenty years later, with just thirteen employees-and a real office-the label boasts some of the biggest bands on the independent music scene, including Arcade Fire, Spoon, Magnetic Fields, M. Ward, Neutral Milk Hotel, She & Him, and more. But Merge still maintains its small-label mindset by producing good music they have faith in-not only what they think will sell the most copies.

Author John Cook traces the growth of Merge along the bumpy roads that led to its success and importance today, through first-hand interviews with Mac, Laura, their friends, and band mates, and other key players in the formation and growth of the label. Featuring photographs the life and times of the label and its bands, as well as concert memorabilia, record label art, and a link to a streaming Internet soundtrack for the book, Our Noise tells Merge's story in an intimate and entertaining package. 

[Photo nicked from Schoolkids' Records' MySpace page - couldn't resist, as it's such a perfect tribute.  www.myspace.com/schoolkidsrecords ] 

Black vinyl is limited? WTF?!? Oh, you mean the quantity pressed, now we get it...

By Blurt Staff

Modest Mouse has announced they will release their ‘Autumn Beds' 7" single on June 23rd. This special 7" will be on limited edition black vinyl with an embossed sleeve and individually numbered to 4000. This new single includes never before released tracks: ‘Autumn Beds' backed with ‘Whale Song.' Modest Mouse fans will be familiar with the band's new tune ‘Whale Song' as it became a recent staple in the band's live shows. This special vinyl will be available nationally at retail, with the songs also offered on iTunes.

On June 16, ‘Autumn Beds' will make its audio premiere on AOL Spinner - www.spinner.com - and on June 18 fans will get the first listen to ‘Whale Song' on The Tripwire - www.thetripwire.com

Followup to critical fave album Disco Romance.

By Blurt Staff

Report in from Pitchfork today and Paper Bag Records that Swedish thrush Sally Shapiro's second album will be released on August 25 by Paper Bag. Titled My Guilty Pleasure, it's the followup to her acclaimed 2007 album Disco Romance (which, sharp-minded BLURT readers will recall, topped scores of critics' lists that year, including the staff list for our predecessor Harp magazine).

We profiled Shapiro - and even speculated whether or not she was a real person - at the BLURT site - a little under a year ago. Go HERE to read the interview.

The new album is produced by Johan Agebjorn and includes the single "Miracle", currently offered at the Paper Bag site.

Tracklisting:

01 Swimming Through the Blue Lagoon
02 Looking at the Stars
03 Love in July
04 My Fantasy
05 Let It Show
06 Moonlight Dance
07 Save Your Love
08 Dying in Africa
09 Miracle

And yes, BLURT will be there, Twittering from the site and filing updates...

By Blurt Staff

And this year's Bonnaroo festival is officially underway in Manchester, TN. At present the weather conditions are good, although it's looking somewhat ominous for the weekend: scattered thunderstorms are forecasted for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hello, Woodstock experience! (Or is that Glastonbury...) Hello, people dressed like lunatics!

At any rate, bands are getting started right about now in the tents, with sets in a couple of hours from White Rabbits, MURS, Delta Spirit, Portugal the Man, the Low Anthem and more. Then tomorrow things kick into high gear at noon en route to some hotly anticipated mainstage (What Stage) sets from the Beastie Boys - who rocked Asheville, NC, mightily last night and BLURT was present to bear witness - and Phish, along with Public Enemy, Femi Kuti, Paul Oakenfold and Girl Talk going late into the night in the tents. You can go to the Bonnaroo schedule HERE for details on all three days.

Meanwhile, BLURT's man on the ground, Andy Tennille, will be Twittering from the ‘roo site all weekend long, so sign up to follow us on Twitter if you are so inclined. Tennille will also be filing postmortems along with exclusive photo essays after each day (read: after he recovers from each previous day).

As in years past, live webcasts of selected sets will be streamed from Bonnaroo, this year courtesy AT&T Music, starting tomorrow at 12:45 with Gomez, People Under the Stairs and Animal Collective. Wonder if they'll have all those disclaimers about some content not being suitable for kids? And Fuse TV will be airing a lot of Bonnaroo-related content as well. So in between all the inevitable blogging and Twittering and assorted media coverage, it's going to be wall to wall Bonnaroo this weekend. We're already feeling overwhelmed....

New album due from acclaimed South African band.

By Blurt Staff

Anyone who caught BLK JKS at SXSW in Austin this past March knows that all the critical praise lavished on the South African band's Mystery EP was not just hype - the group delivered, serving up a thumping blend of dubby Afro-beat, hard-edged rock and psychedelic griots. Now comes word that a full-length, After Robots, is due on Sept. 8 courtesy Secretly Canadian. The scoop from the label:

BLK JKS consists of childhood friends Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata who grew up on the same block in Johannesburg's East Rand where they taught themselves guitar. After the band's current lineup took shape with the addition of bassist Molefi Makananise and drummer Tshepang Ramoba, both of Soweto, they embarked on a schedule of heavy touring throughout South Africa that earned them a loyal national following.

BLK JKS first came to the U.S. in the spring of 2008 after a chance meeting with über-producer Diplo while he was on tour in South Africa. The band's appearance on the cover of the Fader, as well as highly acclaimed sets at South by Southwest, sparked recording sessions at New York's famed Electric Lady studios that resulted in the Mystery EP. They have gone on to share stages in North America and Europe with a celebrated and disparate array of artists including Femi Kuti, Santigold, Dirty Projectors, Michael Franti and Cody Chesnutt; they have played Sasquatch and Soweto Arts Festival; and drummer Tshepang Ramoba has been celebrated by Billboard as "the best musician" at SXSW.

The essence of BLK JKS' music-a collision of township blues, fringe jazz and renegade dub, heard via the lens of prog-shines through even more on the new album. Music from Africa has never sounded like this, as BLK JKS bring the concept of afro-futurism into a new century. After Robots was recorded January in Bloomington, IN as BLK JKS traded a South African summer for winter in America and burrowed in for marathon recording sessions of one live take after the next. Brandon Curtis of Secret Machines returned to join the band at the controls and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble appears on several tracks with the swagger of aggressive horn stabs, but throughout After Robots is an original BLK JKS affair-a distinctly South African vision of rock's global travel and the possibility of what it can sound like from here on out.

Check out "Mololatladi" from the album, which literally means rainbow in Zulu, as a free mp3:

"Mololatladi"

Contains the earliest known footage of the Beatles from Feb '62 - home movies, personal photographs, private memorabilia and recently discovered film.

By Blurt Staff

Rare And Unseen is an all new documentary DVD tells the true story of The Beatles from humble beginnings in Liverpool, to the break-up of the biggest band in the world. Their story is told for the very first time using original rare film and video of the band, including home-movies, concert footage, newsreels and photographs from private collections. Obviously not authorized by Apple or the surviving band members - the DVD's subtitle is Unofficial Account Of The Biggest Band In The World - it's still guaranteed to cause a stir in the cliquish, territorial world of Beatles collectors. The Wienerworld label will be issuing it on August 11 via MVD Video.

Included are  interviews with those who surrounded the band, and those who were there from the very start. Also included is an exclusive interview with Phil Collins, and say what you will about the Philster, he's long been known as one of the world's biggest Beatles vans. According to the label, "This documentary is an honest account of what really happened. For the first time we can see The Beatles relaxed, at play, on and off stage, on film, and is a rare glimpse inside the lives of the most famous band in the world."

With additional contributions from: Phil Collins, Steve Harley, Norman Hurricane Smith Colin Hanton (their first drummer) Sam Leach (tour manager) Tony Barrow (press officer 1962-1968), Tony Bramwell (friend and roadie), Ken Dodd, Tony Booth, Gerry Marsden, Len Goodman Sylvie Varten.

Features:

    * Earliest known footage of the Beatles on stage in Liverpool February 1962.
    * Only existing film on tour in Scotland - Caird Hall, Dundee October 1964.
    * Bahamas, February 1965 during the filming of Help!
    * September 1967 in Newquay whilst filming Magical Mystery Tour.
    * Home movie footage from Paris Olympia Theatre Januar y1964
    * Highlights of interview with John Lennon recorded in New York for French TV.

Let's hear it for the monkey!

By Fred Mills

Word is arriving today that NYC buzzband Cymbals Eat Guitars will be unleashing their album Why There Are Mountains with new cover art on Sept. 22 via Sister's Den Records. This will be the official national roll-out, following a blogger-approved "soft" (read: self-released) issuing awhile back. The band gets compared to folks like Built to Spill and Modest Mouse, so you know they must be a big deal, and they'll be touring a little bit in the lead up to the release. Dates below.

However, for some reason that word "guitar" kept sticking in our minds... that's spelled GUITAR... and all of a sudden we had the urge to hear the Ray Stevens classic "Gitarzan". You gotta love YouTube: the tune's all over the place, in both original and tribute form. See below for a kinda crate-digger's video take on the song - it has lost none of its musical pulchritude even with the passing of decades - along with another coupla nuggets we spotted. This should tide you over nicely until Sept. 22. Why are we showing you this? Because it's Friday fool! We're outta here for the weekend.

And git down!

Tour Dates

6/13 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
7/2 - Vollrath Tavern - Indianapolis, TN
7/4 - 80/35 Festival @ Western Gateway Park - Des Moines, IA
7/18 - Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park - Chicago, IL
9/12 - Monolith Festival @ Red Rocks Ampitheatre - Morrison, CO

Hip hop luminaries to release long-awaited reunion record October 13th on Big Dada.

By Blurt Staff

Six years after they parted ways to pursue separate projects, Anti-Pop Consortium have reunited and recorded their fourth album Fluorescent Black, slated for release October 13th on Big Dada Recordings.  APC, who took hip-hop by surprise with their 2000 debut, Tragic Epilogue, proceeded to make a name for themselves as one of the genre's premiere boundary-pushers with Shopping Carts Crashing (2000) and cemented their status as luminaries with Arrhythmia (2002), say they reunite enriched by the time apart.   "We're grown men," says Anti-Pop's Beans.  "So our acceptance of our differences has allowed to bring all that more magic to the table. We're stronger now and the music is better for it."

When Anti-Pop Consortium's Beans, M. Sayyid, Earl Blaze, and High Priest parted ways in 2002 to pursue other projects, they left a gap in hip-hop no other group was entirely prepared to fill.  2002's Arrhythmia was proof enough that if any other group of MCs could match the collective's left-field adventurousness or their lit-caliber lyrical dexterity, none had produced a record that both pushed the envelope with experimentation and made heads nod.  As Dusted Magazine put it, Arrhythmia "throws down the gauntlet to the rest of indie hip-hop - yeah, it's one thing to spit complex vocabulary like a thesaurus, but how about you make your music move?"  Anti-Pop Consortium disbanded shortly after the record was released and nearly seven years later the challenge posed to hip-hop by Arrhythmia remains largely untouched. With Fluorescent Black, APC will finish the job.

[Photo credit: www.sarahafriedman.com]

Blurt's Andy Tennille is at Bonnaroo, collecting images and impressions. Don't miss his frequent Blurt Twitters from the site, either.

BY ANDY TENNILLE

BONNAROO 2009, FRIDAY JUNE 12: Musicologists will tell you that the roots of nearly every genre of music can be traced back to Africa, and no where were those genealogical connections more evident than on the first day of Bonnaroo 2009.

Friday's lineup was filled with both African musicians as well as artists whose music has been indelibly influenced by the sounds of the Dark Continent. Femi Kuti played opposite Public Enemy, David Byrne followed Amadou & Mariam and two legends - Bela Fleck & Toumani Diabete - shared a stage. Even Phish's Trey Anastasio has professed his love of King Sunny Ade's music over the years.

While Ade's set was perhaps the most highly anticipated of the entire festival, it was a second generation Malian that stole the show on Friday. Vieux Farka Toure, son of the late Ali Farka Toure, played to a jam-packed Other Tent, treating the crowd to songs of his recently released sophomore effort, Fondo. An exceptional guitarist, Vieux Farka Toure pays homage to his father's music while putting his own unique spin on it. On a day that illuminated our links to the Motherland, Vieux Farka Toure embodied it.

Exclusive images from Bonnaroo 2009, Friday, June 12...


Herein find a sweet photo gallery of pics from Friday at Bonnaroo. They were taken by our good friend, Joe Kendrick, DJ extraordinaire at WNCW-FM (on the web at WNCW.org) - you can see his smiling mug in one of the photos, in fact. Party on, Garth!

Patterson Hood

St. Vincent

The Which stage

Random images from the grounds

Al Green (on big screen)

Grizzly Bear

Lucinda Williams

King Sunny Ade band

Joe Kendrick and the broadcast media tent control room

Future festivalgoer (note sticker in hand)

Exclusive images from Bonnaroo 2009, Saturday, June 13...


Herein find a sweet photo gallery of pics from Saturday at Bonnaroo. They were taken by our good friend, Joe Kendrick, DJ extraordinaire at WNCW-FM (on the web at WNCW.org). See elsewhere on the Blurt site for his photos from Friday. Party on, Garth!

Alejandro Escovedo band

Elvis Perkins In Dearland

Allen Toussaint

Heartless Bastards

Random pics from the grounds

Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

Nearing the end of the evening

Exclusive: Alejandro Escovedo @ Bonnaroo

Blurt's Andy Tennille is at Bonnaroo, collecting images and impressions. Don't miss his frequent Blurt Twitters from the site, either.

BY ANDY TENNILLE

BONNAROO 2009, SATURDAY JUNE 13: When it comes right down to it, Parrotheads are really no different than your typical Bonnaroo attendee.

Both species are live music fans that enjoy a good time, whether it's guzzling boat drinks or gobbling psychedelics.

The proof was in the pudding (or perhaps the mud) on Saturday when Mr. Parrothead himself, Jimmy Buffett, made a surprise appearance with his Coral Reefer All Stars. Hearing "Fins" and "Margaritaville" ring out across the festival grounds might have been strange to some, but it got the day's music started on the right foot.

BLURT favorites Heartless Bastards and Alejandro Escovedo turned in solid sets but the early afternoon favorite was Elvis Perkins, who rocked the This Tent.

Mid-afternoon sets featured a handful of legends including Allen Toussaint, David Grisman, Robyn Hitchcock, Tony Rice, Elvis Costello (backed by Jenny Lewis' band with Toussaint sitting in), Del McCoury Band and Booker T. Jones with the Drive-By Truckers. Gov't Mule turned in a cover-laden set of blue-collar rock opposite of Montreal, whose over-the-top dance pop was high on theatrics but lacking in the chops department.

Two of the best sets of the entire festival so far came from totally opposite ends of the musical spectrum. I've heard far too long that Wilco is not a great festival act, but their set on Saturday was spectacular. The Mars Volta absolutely freaked out the Which Stage, setting the scene for Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails' late-night show.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band wrapped up the main stage on Saturday with an epic set that kicked off with "Badlands" and did not stop for the next three hours. The Boss covered tunes from his new album, Working on a Dream, but the highlight of the show was undoubtedly the fan-requested "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town."

Christmas came early at Bonnaroo!!

[Photos by Joe Kendrick]

Notion of "independent" gets redefined, sorta.

By Blurt Staff

Semi-big news out of Britain today. Okay, maybe it's not that big. It's not even all that pertinent to folks here in America. But to those of us who do harbor a general fascination with the British music industry, whose chart system in particular has a long, tangled, colorful history, it's still news.

The UK's Official Charts Company today announces that it will re-launch the UK's Official Independent Charts, along with the addition of two new charts to support independent labels - brand new Independent Singles and Albums Breakers Charts. The Independent Charts - which have had a major re-vamp via a new set of criteria, focusing on independent ownership - and Breakers Charts will be officially launched on Monday 29th June. 

The Independent Charts are a 30-year-old institution in the UK, supporting music from independently financed, produced and distributed artists and labels. This marks the first time in their three decades of history (the charts were first launched in the UK in 1978 by Iain McNay, the chairman of British independent label, Cherry Red Records), that the UK's Independent Charts will have a major refresh.

The new look charts, based on new criteria for independence; replace the former focus on independent distribution. Under the new rules, a download or CD will be eligible for the Official Independent Charts if it is released on a label which is 50% or more owned by an independent (non-major) company, irrespective of the distribution channel through which it is shipped or delivered. 

They will be accompanied by the new Independent Breakers charts. The new Breakers Charts are designed to reflect and bolster music from the independent sector's newer, developing acts, by remaining open only to artists which have not previously scored a Top 20 hit in the UK - in the first few months of this year, they would have benefited critical darlings including Bon Iver, Friendly Fires, Patrick Wolf and The Horrors.

Preps new album for a September release.

By Fred Mills

Richard Hawley's sixth studio album, "Truelove's Gutter," is set to be released on Mute on September 22nd. It was recorded in Hawley's hometown of Sheffield at Yellow Arch studios.

According to Hawley, it is, thematically, his darkest work to date, exploring the idea of people or things that are broken in some way, and the fractured and damaged times in which we live. Arrangements on the album occasionally feature uncommon instrumentation, such as the megabass waterphone and crystal baschet. "I use a load of odd sounds on this album that are not heard on many other records," says Hawley. "The sounds in my head on a lot of the tracks - I didn't even know what they were called!"

Eccentric instruments notwithstanding, the lush but minimal production provides a haunting backdrop to Hawley's unique voice and allows him plenty of space for some outstandingly beautiful guitar solos. "I wanted it to be a listening experience from start to finish, where you couldn't just pause it and go off and watch Coronation Street or whatever," explains Hawley. "Sonically, it flows. It's not jumping all over the place. It just has a mood that goes through the whole thing."

Track Listing:

1.    As The Dawn Breaks
2.    Open Up The Door
3.    Ashes on The Fire
4.    Remorse Code
5.    Don't Get Hung Up in your Soul
6.    Soldier On
7.    For Your Lover, Give Some Time
8.    Don't You Cry

Rather than belabor the point, we'll just let you read all the hype, below, verbatim.

By Blurt Staff

Minotaur, the definitive Pixies' Collector's Sets, was already an extraordinary package when it was first announced, but with more content added, it's even better.

Now, weighing in at about 25-pounds with a custom clamshell container that resembles the Monolith from the classic film "2001:  A space Odyssey," new additions to the Limited Edition include Blu-ray and DVD discs that are mastered for 5.1 audio surround sound at 24/192 and 24/96, respectively, and two-channel stereo; five, 12-inch albums cut from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram virgin vnyl; a faux fur hardcover 96-page fine art book of Oliver and Larbalestier's project artwork printed on high-quality paper that measures 22 X 14", and two frameable, 48" X 36", double-sided, fold-out, four color wall posters.  In addition, all 3000 copies of the Limited Edition sets will be individually numbered and hand-signed by all four members of the Pixies and Vaughan Olliver.

Minotaur's Limited Edition already includes all five of the Pixies' studio albums on 24k gold-plated CDs and Blu-ray discs, a DVD and Blu-ray of the band's previously unreleased 1991 performance at London's Brixton Academy, all of the group's videos, a 54-page book of brand new art created by the award-winning and legendary Vaughan Oliver (the graphic designer who created all of the artwork that accompanied the Pixies' studio albums), and a 22" X 14" frameble Giclee print of a stunning photo taken exclusively for Minotaur by Pixies' photographer Simon Larbalestier, the photographer for all of the band's original albums.

Contents for the Deluxe Edition will include all five Pixies studio albums - Come on Pilgrim (1987), Surfer Rosa (1988), Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990), and Trompe le Monde (1991) - on the following formats:  24K gold-plated CDs; DVD and Blu-ray discs mastered for 5.1 surround sound at 24/192 and 24/96, respectively, and two-channel stereo; a DVD and Blu-ray of the Pixies' 1991 performance at London's Brixton Academy, now also mastered for 5.1 surround sound at 24/192 and 24/96 respectively.

Minotaur will be available for pre-order starting today, June 15, 2009 at www.ainr.com.  The Minotaur Deluxe Edition will retail for $175, while the Minotaur Limited Edition will be priced at $495; both will ship directly to the purchaser between late-September and mid-October.

"It's beyond my expectations.  I thought it was going to be your typical box set, but it's monstrous, I've never seen anything like it."

-- Pixies' David Lovering

The Pixies have been acclaimed as the most influential pioneering band of the late 80s alt/rock movement.  They recorded five studio albums between 1987 and 1991, creating a body of work that spawned many alt/rock radio standards, and influenced countless subsequent bands, including Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Radiohead.

Minotaur was spearheaded by Jeff Anderson, founder of A+R (Artist in Residence), who has put together expansive and eye-catching collector's sets for Nine Inch Nails, Beck, and Sigur Ros.  Nearly a year ago, he took the first steps towards what would reunite what some have called the 4AD Records' "dream team" - award-winning graphic designer Vaughan Oliver, gifted photographer Simon Larbalestier, and the music of the Pixies.  What soon followed was the idea of Vaughan Oliver.

"I know people who used to buy the vinyl records from 4AD, they didn't even know who the band was, they just bought the vinyl so they could have the artwork of Vaughan Oliver."   -- Pixies' Kim Deal

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

Now, nearly 20 years after the release of the Pixies final studio album, Oliver, recognized as one of the most innovative graphic designers of the past thirty years, and Larbalestier are using the same music as inspiration, but applying a 21st century perspective to create a complete new body of art and designs for Minotaur's Deluxe and Limited Edition uber-sets - the  outer casings, CD, vinyl and DVD sleeves and the inside boxes that house them, the four-color, hard- and soft-bound fine art books, the two oversized wall posters and more.

Oliver, working as designer-in-residence at the UK's University of the Creative Arts in Epsom, Surrey, enlisted some of his students to work on Minotaur.  The students experimented with typography in a spatial and expressive fashion using work as image, information as illustration, using a wide variety of techniques and materials (including construction nails), to create stunning and unconventional graphic responses to Larbalestier's photography.  Oliver also had one of his students sketch images from the original album covers, creating the only reference to the original artwork.

Oliver has given Minotaur a total feel, a total look, rather than a disparate quality of putting into one box five album packages that were designed at different times under varying circumstances.

"This was an opportunity for us to go back through the themes and the ideas that we'd covered at the time of the five albums, and treat them in a deeper, more substantial way," explained Oliver.  "There was the benefit of retrospect."

Additionally, Larbalestier approached his photography from a completely different perspective for Minotaur than he did for the original Pixies' album covers.  Explained Oliver, "For Minotaur, Simon used very different techniques.  For his original photographs, he shot exclusively in a studio using a large format camera for what he called a 'forensic approach,' everything was very controlled.  This time, he used a point-and-shoot digital camera and shot mostly on location.  His new work is full of power, it carries a very strong visual poetry.  Simon has the ability to imbue the inanimate with emotion, with sensibilities."

"We realize we have a unique relationship with Vaughan.  He's the only person outside of the band who has ever been allowed to represent the band in any way, and we've given him carte blanche to do that." -- Frank Black

Video press release for the box:

It's like 1966 all over again, baby!

By Blurt Staff

Three of the premiere bands of the Los Angeles psychedelic era of the late '60s will join forces August 4-18 for the California '66 Revue tour. The Electric Prunes, Love and Sky "Sunlight" Saxon of the Seeds will bring the spirit of Sunset Strip in the late '60s up the East Coast and into Canada and the Midwest. It's dubbed the California '66 Revue.
 

"This is an idea that James Lowe and Mark Tulin of the Electric Prunes had - to gather three influential '60s bands from the Los Angeles area together to create the excitement that was the L.A. music scene in 1966," said tour promoter Patrick Hand, in a statement. "When L.A. veterans Sky Saxon and Love signed on, California '66 was on the road. I've come to think that 1966 was really the year that rock music peaked, before the excesses of stadium venues and art rock, and these musicians were a big part of that."

 
The current incarnation of Love is led by original guitarist Johnny Echols, lead guitarist in the classic 1966-68 lineup, and will be backed by Baby Lemonade, the latter-day psychedelic L.A. band that accompanied Love founding member Arthur Lee from 1993 until his 2005 death. Sky Saxon brings his trippy vocal presentation that gave the world "Pushin' Too Hard," "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" and more. The Electric Prunes continue to be fronted by original members James Lowe (vocals) and Mark Tulin (bass).

 
The tour begins in August 4 at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia and ends on August 18 at the Birchmere outside Washington, D.C. Other tour cities include New York, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

 
"We wanted to do a few shows in intimate venues to see if there is still interest in this genre, and we've already passed that test," added Hand. "If the public is as enthusiastic in attending the shows as the clubs have been in booking, then I have no doubt we'll be back on the road again, in the West Coast and the U.K."

Tour Dates:

Tuesday, August 4 PHILADELPHIA, PA Johnny Brenda's
Wednesday, August 5 HOBOKEN, NJ  Maxwell's
Thursday, August 6 FAIRFIELD,CT Quick Center; benefit for WPKN-FM radio.
Friday, August 7  CAMBRIDGE, MA  Middle East
Saturday, August 8 MONTREAL, QU  Theater Plaza; affiliated with the "Teenbeat Takeover Woolly Weekend."
Sunday, August 9 NEW YORK, NY  B.B. King's
Monday, August 10  FOXBORO, MA  Patriot's Place
Wednesday, August 12 CHICAGO, IL  Double Door
Thursday, August 13 MILWAUKEE, WI Shank Hall
Friday, August 14 TORONTO, ON  Lee's Palace
Saturday, August 15 DETROIT, MI  The Magic Bag
Sunday, August 16 CLEVELAND, OH  Beachland Ballroom
Monday, August 17 PITTSBURGH, PA  Hard Rock Café
Tuesday, August 18 ALEXANDRIA, VA (DC AREA)  Birchmere

[Pictured: Sky Saxon (top), Electric Prunes (middle), Love (bottom)
 

We just like thes two photos (thanks to Joe Kendrick for 'em both) as they kinda capture the 'roo spirit. Hope everyone had a good time this year and see you next year...

Band puts together new project that doesn't involve memoir-penning tell-all bassist.

By Blurt Staff

So it's been two years since those New Order breakup rumors started, rumors fueled primarily by the fact that one of the founding members, bassist Peter Hook, said the band had broken up. Well, three of the other N.O. members are finally getting around to confirming the news: today in an interview published by the BBC, guitarist/vocalist Bernard Sumner, drummer Stephen Morris and guitarist Phil Cunningham announced that they've recorded an album, sans Hook, featuring Blur's Alex James taking Hooky's place and also pitching in on guitar.

They're calling the project, rather unimaginatively, Bad Lieutenant, and the as-yet-untitled album is due in October. Other unspecified musicians will also be in the band and touring will commence later this year.

Sumner told the BBC, "I'm very proud of it, it's a very good album. It's pretty guitary too because we've got three guitarists in the band."

He was cryptic, however, about the split, saying tersely, "We split into two factions, there's me Steve and Phil. The other is Peter Hook. Basically he left the band, that's all I want to say about it."

Meanwhile, if you want a hilarious read, check out this Pitchfork article about Hook's upcoming memoir in which he dishes, sometimes perhaps too explicitly, about all the misadventures he's had and misanthropes he's encountered over the course of his three decades-plus career. Titled Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club, it's theoretically due in October from Simon & Schuster, but as you'll see, the potentially libelous nature of some of its content may derail the whole project.

Here's our favorite bit:

74 Might not MXXX XXXXX object to this? I appreciate the author says he is great friends with XX, but on the other hand he does call him an obnoxious bastard! He knows XX whereas I do not. From a legal point of view, it is defamatory to repeat a story that he breakfasted on speed when it is admitted that it is not in fact true, or at any rate, that XX denies it. He might laugh this off but what if he does not? Did he regularly take speed? I appreciate this may seem a little pompous and unworldly to the author, but I am seeing people from the point of view of them being potential complainants and I know nothing about their background. What I can tell the author is that if they do complain and do not find the joke funny, we have a distinct problem.

Gordon Gano steps out with a Ryans  rec...

By Blurt Staff

Gordon Gano and his band the Violent Femmes helped define post-punk's nerdy cool wile crafting himself into one of rock's finest singer/songwriters.  For the first time in seven years, he is emerging again to offer his bittersweet tunes to a whole new generation of fans.  Gordon Gano & The Ryans releasing Under the Sun, a collaboration between Gano and Brendan & Billy Ryan, to be released September 15^th 2009.

In 1983, Gordon Gano and his band the Violent Femmes released their self-titled debut, still believed to be by many critics one of the best rock albums of our time. Described as, "The Grandfathers of folk-punk...rock's dadaist improvisers...the sonic personification of anxiety...blues cubists," and "...spokesmen for misfits," the band would go on to define 80s teen angst and be the unlikely poster children for the still nascent alternative music movement, making it clear there was as yet untapped powerful dimension of artists and consumers lurking beneath the current pop mainstream of the day. Violent Femmes is famously the first album to ever gain platinum status without ever charting on the Billboard Top 100. To date, the album has sold nearly two million copies

The music that inspired his collaboration with the Ryan brothers spawned during fertile sessions in the café's, bars and laundromats of New York City's West Village. Known for their own band The Bogmen and a healthy film score career (Fever Pitch, The Heartbreak Kid, MO) Brendan and Billy Ryan bring musicality and new color to Gordon's visceral lyricism and signature adenoidal drawl. A filled-out next chapter to the music of the Femmes, Under the Sun is the music of a mature band, a band made of men not boys, men who have supplanted wonder for angst, controlled passion for reckless abandon. But any album that contains the lyric "I was crappin' and a-nappin' " can't be all business. Gano-ian playfulness surely makes more than one appearance.

Largely record at the Carriage House in Stamford, CT, Under the Sun features Gordon Gano on vocals/guitar/violin, Brendan Ryan on keyboards/accordion/horns, Billy Ryan on guitar/backing vocals, Frank Ferrer (Guns N' Roses, Psychedelic Furs) on drums and Lonnie Hillyer (Maggie's Dream, Bernie Worrell) on bass. Phil Palazzolo (The New Pornographers, Neko Case) engineers and mixes.

A direct inspiration to today's indie folk and pop artists alike (The Arcade Fire and Gnarls Barkley both regularly perform Gano's songs, the latter recording ‘Gone Daddy Gone' for their latest album St. Elsewhere) Under the Sun is only Gordon's second solo offering and surely his most cohesive. The ever-swimming shark, Gano and company move toward another chapter in the canon of rock.

Up to their belly buttons with good, clean, American music.

By Blurt Staff

Tortoise's new album and first full-length release of all new material in over five years, Beacons of Ancestorship, is out next week, June 23rd on Thrill Jockey. As previously reported, the band will be playing select cities this summer in the week surrounding their performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival. Additionally, Tortoise has added a week of shows throughout the midwest to their fall schedule. A complete list of dates is below.

Watch for the new issue of BLURT, due on newsstands in a couple of weeks, with a review of the album. We note, in part, "What makes this work are the brilliant compositions and group mentality. There isn't a classic "solo" to be found (maybe inside "Prepare Your Coffin"); instead, we are transported to some futuristic space club where music is created by cyborg machines with human hearts." 

As the label sagely advises us, "Almost alone among bands of the last two decades, Tortoise remains unique as one of the rare bands who outgrew their early influences and instead became one of the markers by which other groups are now measured. Resisting easy metaphors and analogies, while spawning countless followers and imitators, Tortoise truly sound like themselves and no one else. Witnessing the element of group play between the five band members in a live setting and their adept skills at playing interchanging instruments to create this sound is truly an inspiring experience and one that should not be missed!"

Tour Dates:

Sat. July 11 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Mon. July 13 -- San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Wed. July 15 -- Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
Fri. July 17 -- Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
Sun. July 19 -- Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Mon. July 20 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Sanctuary at First Unitarian Church
Tue. July 21 -- New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
Fri. July 24 -- Tokyo, Japan @ Fuji Rock Festival
Fri. Aug. 14 -- St. Malo, France @ La Route Du Rock
Sat. Aug. 22 -- Hasselt, Belgium @ Pukkelpop
Tue. Sep. 29 -- St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
Wed. Sep. 30 -- Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont Club
Thu. Oct. 1 -- Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
Fri. Oct. 2 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Sat. Oct. 3 -- Dubuque, IA @ Voices Warehouse Gallery

[Photo Credit: Jim Newberry]

Get in on the Coppola deal while you're at it, fans.

By Blurt Staff

Antony and the Johnsons will release the "Aeon"/"Crazy in Love" double A-side single in the US  on August 4th on CD and 7" through Secretly Canadian and on August 3rd in Europe and UK on 7" through Rough Trade. "Aeon" is taken from "The Crying Light" which debuted at #1 on the European chart. The band appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman for the song's television debut. Antony and the Johnsons' earnest and impassioned cover of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love", a long time live favorite, is being released officially for the first time.

The band is currently on a European leg of their world tour.  The summer shows see them playing with some of the most esteemed symphonies in Europe in prestigious venues including La Carre in Amsterdam, Manchester Opera House, and the Grand Theatre Romain de Fouviere in Lyon (dates below).

Those who preorder the 7" of "Aeon" will receive a free copy of Zoetrope Magazine. The issue was curated by Antony and features his artwork. Zoetrope is Francis Ford Coppola's quarterly magazine devoted to the best new short-fiction and one-act plays.

Summer Live Dates:

Sunday June 21st, 2009
Amsterdam, NL - Holland Festival @ Royal Carré Theatre with The Metropole Orchestra

Monday June 22nd, 2009
Amsterdam, NL - Holland Festival @ Royal Carré Theatre with The Metropole Orchestra

Monday June 29th, 2009
Athens, GR @ The Badminton Theatre with The Orchestra of Contemporary Music of the Hellenic Broadcasting Company

Friday & Saturday July 3rd & 4th, 2009
Manchester, UK - Manchester International Festival @ Manchester Opera House with The Manchester Camerata

Tuesday July 7th, 2009
Madrid, ES - Teatro Circo Price

Thursday July 9th, 2009
Paris, FR - Cite' de la Music @ Salle Pleyel

Wednesday July 15th, 2009
Montreux, CH - Montreux Jazz Festival @ Miles Davis Hall with The Montreux Orchestra

Friday July 17th, 2009
Luzern, CH - Blue Balls Festival @ KKL Concert Hall with The Montreux Orchestra

Tuesday July 21st, 2009
Lyon, France - Les Nuits De Fourviere @ Grand Theatre Romain with Opera de Lyon Orchestra

Tuesday July 28th, 2009
Rome, IT @ Cavea at Il Parco della Musica with Roma Sinfonietta

Saturday August 1st, 2009
Turin, IT @ Reggia Venaria Reale with Filarmonica '900 of the Royal Theatre in Turin

Wednesday August 5th, 2009
Copenhagen, DK @ DR Concerthouse with The Danish National Chamber Orchestra

Sunday August 9th, 2009
Oslo, NO - Oslo Jazz Festival @ The Oslo Opera House with The Oslo Opera House Orchestra

Friday August 14th, 2009
Gothenburg, SE - Way Out West Festival @ The Flamingo Stage with The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Ethan Rose and Laura Gibson, Big Pink, Yoko Ono, Deastro, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens, Pete Yorn, Tiny Vipers, Sean Bones

By Blurt Staff

It's officially New Music Tuesday at BLURT, which means, quite logically, you can hear some new music today (Tuesday, duh) at BLURT.

What, pray tell, is the new music in question? Glad you asked! Glom onto these ace MP3s:

Ethan Rose And Laura Gibson - Sun (from The PDX Pop Now! Compilation)

The Big Pink - Velvet (from Stop The World, 4AD Records)

Yoko Ono - The Sun Is Down (Cornelius Mix) (from Between My Head And The Sky, Rykodisk)

Deastro -Grower (from Grower EP, Ghostly International)

 Naomi Shelton And The Gospel Queens - What Have You Done? (from What Have You Done My Brother, Daptone Records)

Pete Yorn - Don't Wanna Cry (from Back And Fourth, Columbia Records)

 Tiny Vipers - Dreamer (from Life On Earth, Subpop)

Sean Bones - Dancehall (from Rings, Frenchkiss Records)

Just click on the BLURT Radio icon on the right-hand side of our homepage and wait for the music player to pop up in a separate window. Then enjoy some fine listening!

And check back every Tuesday, same BLURT-time, same BLURT-channel, to hear the latest streaming goodies, all personally netted, vetted and hand-selected by our trained staff of highly evolved primates. Why? Because at BLURT, we care.

Releasing his new album, one MP3 at a time....

By Blurt Staff

Everyone's favorite one-man-band, Keller Williams, releases his forthcoming album, ODD, through his brand new, fan-oriented download feature, ‘The Once A Week Freek'. Visit ‘The Once A Week Freek" at www.kellerwilliams.net  to download a new song from ODD each week, available in the sequence that the songs will appear on the album - before its official release on August 12, 2009. Beginning August 12, full digital copies and physical copies of ODD will available for purchase at www.kellerwilliams.net  and at Keller's live shows. 

 In addition to weekly song features from ODD, those who choose to purchase and download the album one track at a time, may also receive unexpected and spontaneous bonus content hand-picked by Keller himself. Keller hits the road this summer - both on his own and co-headlining a short run of shows with Dark Star Orchestra.

Long after the new tracks from ODD are released via ‘The Once A Week Freek', visit back weekly for downloads of never-before-heard original studio recorded songs, live gems from the archives, versions of songs recorded as recent as last night's show, and more. "I'm truly excited to share with you the ton of music that I have been sitting on for so long," says Williams. "The more support we get from this project, the more selections will be available every week."

Tour Dates:

June 26 Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Great Barrington MA
June 27 Tarrytown Music Hall Tarrytown NY
July 2 ROTHBURY Rothbury MI
July 5 Nelson Ledges Quarry Park Garrettsville OH
July 9 All Good Music Festival Masontown WV
July 11 Governor's Island New York NY w/ Dark Star Orchestra
July 16 Artpark Lewiston NY w/ Dark Star Orchestra
July 17 Saranac Brewery Saranac NY w/ Dark Star Orchestra
July 18 Vasa Park Mt. Olive NJ w/ Dark Star Orchestra
July 24 Gathering of the Vibes Bridgeport CT Keller Williams and The MD'S
August 1 Celebrate Virginia Fredericksburg VA
August 6 Bottle and Cork Dewey Beach DE
August 12 Spud Drive In Driggs, ID w/ Dark Star Orchestra
August 14 Festival @ Sandpoint at Memorial Field Sandpoint ID
August 15 Frontier Ranch (Shamy Bash) Frontier Ranch Music Center Pataskala, OH
August 21-22 Mishawaka Bellevue CO
August 29 Music on the Mountaintop ~ The Old Fairgrounds Boone NC
September 7 Bumbershoot Festival Mural Amphitheatre Seattle WA  
October 8 Sherman Theater Stroudsburg PA
October 17 Park West Chicago IL
October 23 Englert Theatre Iowa City IA

Groundbreaking mixmaster unveils third album in September. This has gotta be our favorite album cover of the year. Can you say "sleeve face"?

By Blurt Staff

Joakim Bouaziz, in 2007, issued the album Monsters & Silly Songs, and its fusion of disco, post-punk and pop that became something of an instant cult classic. You may know him for his remixes of artists like Cut Copy, Simian Mobile Disco, Annie, Alter Ego,  DJ Mehdi, Royksopp and Poni Hoax. You may know him from his years behind the scenes at Tigersushi, the iconic Parisian label at the crossroads between post-punk, dance music and the avant-garde.

Now, over the course of his third album, Milky Ways (due Sept. 15 from the good folks at !K7), Joakim and his band mates fold together bits of psychedelia, old-school computer music, exotica, electro-pop, blues, new wave, New Pop, Krautrock and more into an expansive, remarkably coherent album that refuses to be reduced to a single genre, much less a single idea. This is no pastiche: these are proper songs, and the whole album follows the kind of overall arc that's rare in a contemporary longplayer. "Spiders" is the first single off the album, with six delirious minutes of Italo arpeggios, fluid vocal harmonies, acid-house snares and an extended Afro-pop breakdown that perfectly sum up the record's madcap, magpie spirit.

Where Monsters & Silly Songs reflected its tumultuous circumstances, making Milky Ways was a lot more leisurely. Having honed their act on the road, Joakim and his bandmates - formerly the Ectoplasmic Band, now dubbed "the Disco" - returned to the studio to jam and flesh out fleeting ideas into fully-fledged songs. Joakim spent the following year editing and arranging the songs and album into their final shape. A few tracks - "Travel In Vain", "King Kong Is Dead" - remain essentially unadulterated, capturing the live band in full flame. Others, with their complex, interlocking layers of guitars, synthesizers, beats and vocals, reflect Joakim's role as architect - but the final form is as surprising to him as anyone. "Whenever I finish a record, I always think, Ok, this is what I don't like, let's do something different next time. This time I was thinking of doing something simpler and more direct than the previous album, but I don't think it turned out that way. When I was doing the mastering, I thought, Whoa, this is quite intense. It's like at one point the creation process escapes my control."

Much of the album takes its shape from the band's experience as a live unit, having limbered up and liberated itself from excessive fealty to the recordings. "I never like to play the song exactly as it is on the record," says Joakim. "We try to have a way of adapting the songs that gives us more freedom to improvise, or allow us to improvise, depending on the situation. Most of the time the live versions are simpler and more rock - it's quite noisy sometimes." That would explain the origins of "Back to Wilderness," whose flailing power chords sound like a tribute to Earth or Sunn 0))). What the squeals of feedback don't warn you is just how tuneful the record is. Loping grooves give way to scraps of melody that recall Captain Beefheart or Durutti Column, and "Spiders," "Medusa" and "Little Girl" all feature billowing, ecstatic vocals that explode like dandelions -"Crystal choruses," Joakim calls them, citing his admiration for Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective.

"The basic inspiration for the album was the idea of youth and teen spirit in our consumer-based society," explains Joakim, "put in parallel with the idea of wilderness, or lost paradise. As if these two things - wilderness & youth - were mythical states." But the album - eager, starry-eyed, a little impish, stubborn and shy in equal measure - hangs delicately between nostalgia and its refusal. With his grounding in post-punk and disco, Joakim's music has always made clear its debt to the past. Still, Joakim's approach is almost curatorial, sifting through the archives to find inspiration in false starts and detours, outmoded methods and outdated technology.

"I think that most (young) artists today are like archaeologists, especially in graphics and contemporary art," says Joakim. "You can't compete with history, with what's been done. You need to use that, in a more or less disrespectful way, to make new things. You can't just say, let's do something new and forget everything before, it's impossible and very pretentious. Especially when all that music is available everywhere all the time. I'm addicted to music and I listen to a lot of very different things, and whenever I hear something interesting in a song I think, Let's try it, put it with something completely different and see what it does, like a mad scientist..."



Track listing:

1. Back To Wilderness
2. Ad Me
3. Fly Like An Apple
4. Spiders
5. Glossy Papers
6. Medusa
7. Love & Romance & A Special Person
8. King Kong Is Dead
9. Travel In Vain
10. Little Girl

Legendary Stax band 24-Carat Black to have newly-discovered material issued.

By Blurt Staff

In 1973 the Stax label issued Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth by 24-Carat Black, and even though it was never a big commercial hit, it went on to become a fount of sampling gold when hip-hop hit years later, with the likes of Jay-Z, Eric B & Rakim, Digable Planets, Nas and many others tapping it for use in their own hits.

As archivist Oliver Wang, writing at the Soul Sides website, explained in a 2004 look at the album, it "has been sampled, extensively, but it is so much more than that. Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth is an extraordinary soul album - so diverse in sound that you'd swear it was two or three LPs combined into one... from the horn-filled flair of "Mother's Day," to the sparse, funky kick of "Foodstamps," to these two beauties: the title cut and the "24 Carat Theme".... This album actually incorporates themes and ideas; it's a concept album, with each song introducing additional commentary on the state of Black life in the ghetto. Truly, an awesome album whose greatness goes far beyond just its value to funk fiends."

One album, and the band was outta there, and while funk/soul buffs long suspected a followup had been recorded, due to a number of factors the tapes were never released, and sat in the basement of the group's engineer and keyboardist.

But now, the good folks at Numero Group have uncovered this slice of forgotten American soul music that has been lost for over a quarter of a century: Gone: The Promises of Yesterday are the last remaining songs by 24-Carat Black.

As the label advises us, Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth "provided a bleak worldview in contrast to many of their label mates, or much of the world for that matter... telling tales of the grim realities of inner-city existence." For this new record, gone are the message-laden songs that they were known for, but these tales of love, either professed or lost, retain the uncannily catchy bass lines and haunting melodies that made the group famous in the first place."

Incidentally, if you want to find out more about that "first place" stuff, the original album is available on LP at Dusty Groove or on CD at Amazon.com .

First new studio album in 35 years.

By Blurt Staff

Okay, Tropicalia fans and psychedelia heads, this is cool: According to Pitchfork, the legendary Os Mutantes will be issuing their first new studio album in 35 years - on the Anti- label, no less. If being on the same roster as Tom Waits, Neko Case, Nick Cave and Bettye LaVette sounds cool to you, throw your arms in the air and shout "Oh yeah!"

(Speaking of LaVette, we have a review of her new iTunes digital EP set to run on the site this week...)

The album, titled Haih, drops September 8, and it reportedly finds main Mutantes man Sergio Dias collaborating with Tom Ze and Jorge Ben. More details as we get ‘em. Meanwhile, pull out that live Mutantes ao Vivo album that Luaka Bop issued in 2007 and start those anticipation engines running...

Os Mutantes Documentary trailer:

Judging by those outfits, above, you're guaranteed some extraordinarily tasteful music!

By Blurt Staff

Blurt's favorite band, the Kings Of Leon have announced they are launching "a dynamic new label" as a co-venture with music publisher Bug Music. Details of the first release on the Windswept imprint, The Features "Some Kind of Salvation," will be announced next week.

The terms of the deal allow the Kings Of Leon to sign and develop artists with Bug Music, in the spirit of discovering dynamic artists that are committed as a band and writing extraordinary music. The first artist signed is fellow Tennessee brethren The Features, a band with a decade of songs and touring experience. Longtime supporters of The Features, Kings Of Leon previously toured the UK and US with the band in 2007.

"Caleb, Jared, Matthew and Nathan are extraordinary tastemakers and constantly absorbing new sounds from all over the world," said Bug Music CEO John Rudolph, in a statement. "The honesty in their music is what draws them to genuine artists. We are excited about developing new artists together as Bug Music continues to innovate and challenge the industry's traditional thinking of a publisher."

Hey, we are all about extraordinary tastemakers!

"Some Kind of Salvation" was produced by Grammy-Award winning Jacquire King (Modest Mouse, Kings Of Leon, Tom Waits, Sea Wolf) and Brian Carter at his Paradox Production facility in Murfreesboro, TN. The band features Matthew Pelham (guitar,lead vocals), Roger Dabbs (bass guitar), Mark Bond (keyboards) and Rollum Haas (drums).

Meanwhile, dear Blurt consumers, read our unintentionally hilarious interview with Caleb of the Kings HERE.

Not to mention Testament!

By Blurt Staff

Rodrigo y Gabriela will release their new studio album, entitled 11:11, on Tuesday September 8^th, via ATO. 11:11 was recorded in Ixtapa, Mexico and produced by Rodrigo y Gabriela, with John Leckie co-producing two of the tracks. The album was mixed in Wales and London by Colin Richardson, best known for his work with Slipknot and Trivium.

Comprising 11 new original compositions, 11:11 is the band's personal "Gracias" to 11 musicians, both past and present, who have inspired them along the way. Alex Skolnick of metal gods Testament guests on the album, as do widely respected acoustic veterans Strunz & Farah.

11:11 is the long awaited follow up to their 2006 self-titled debut which has so far enjoyed worldwide sales in excess of half a million albums.

11:11 tracklisting:

Hanuman              
Buster Voodoo   
Triveni                       
Logos                        
Santo Domingo       
Master Maqui (with guests Strunz & Farah)  
Savitri                         
Hora Zero              
Chac Mool               
Atman (with guest Alex Skolnick)           

11:11                        

Rodrigo y Gabriela will be bringing their inimitable live show to the following venues in the coming months:


June
28 - Summerfest, Milwaukee, USA

September
16    New York City, NY     Terminal 5    
19    Denver, CO     Temple Hoyne Buelle Theatre    
21     Seattle, WA    Moore Theatre    
23    Oakland, CA    Fox Theater    
25    Los Angeles, CA    Orpheum Theatre   


More North American dates will be announced shortly.

The audacity of twang...

By Blurt Staff

Bob Bogle, who co-founded the best selling rock instrumental band in music history the Ventures after meeting Don Wilson while trying to buy a used car from a dealership owned by his father in 1958, passed away on Sunday at the age of 75 after long battle with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Although he hasn't played live with the band in four years, he remained active in recording and producing. Bogle lived long enough to see the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, 2008 and to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the group's founding in April of this year.

Bogle became ill over the weekend and was taken to a hospital, where he died, according to Wilson, who was his friend and musical collaborator for more than 50 years.

"That's when we started working together," Wilson said about meeting at his dad's used car lot. "And then we found out that we each knew a few chords on the guitar, you know, and we had a lot of free time on our hands. But neither of us owned a guitar."

The Ventures scored their first hit with their version of the song, "Walk, Don't Run," in 1960. One of the most influential songs in rock history, it sparked a remarkable run that saw the Ventures chart with 38 albums from 1960 to 1972, selling more than 100 million records, becoming major superstars in Japan and all over the world. Their hits included "Perfidia," "Telstar/The Lonely Bull" and the theme from TV's Hawaii Five-O.

Among their fans was Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty, who inducted the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, saying, "‘Walk, Don't Run' started a whole new movement in rock and roll. The sound of it became ‘surf music,' and the audacity of it empowered guitarists everywhere. Every guitar player on this planet knows what I'm talking about."

Though Nokie Edwards eventually became the Ventures' lead guitarist, it was Bogle who established the template for the band's influential sound, using the vibrato (or whammy bar) in a totally unique way.

Arrangements for a private funeral service are for this Friday, June 19th. He is survived by his beloved wife Yumi, brothers Clarence, Dennis and Curtis, his sister Sybil, his children Gary, Mike, Paul, Kathy, Randy and Brandon, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Don't forget that limited edition single either, fans.

By Blurt Staff

Modest Mouse will be launching a late summer tour of North America. The outing is currently set at 14 dates, including festival appearances on August 28 at San Diego Street Scene, August 30 at Outside Lands, and the final confirmed show on September 7 at Bumbershoot.

The trek kicks off on August 17 at Halifax Forum Arena in Halifax, NS, and includes stops on August 21 at Sound Academy in Toronto, ON; August 25 at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL; September 2 at Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, CO; and September 5 at the Knitting Factory in Spokane, WA.

In other news, "The Autumn Beds" limited edition numbered 7" vinyl single featuring B-side Whale Song will be available starting June 23rd. Go to www.recordstoreday.com for a listing of stores carrying the vinyl.

Tour Dates:

Mon, 08/17/2009 Halifax, NS, Canada Forum Multipurpose Room

Wed, 08/19/2009 Montreal, QC, Canada Metropolis

Thu, 08/20/2009 Kingston, ON, Canada Ale House

Fri, 08/21/2009 Toronto, ON, Canada Sound Academy

Mon, 08/24/2009 Columbus, OH Lifestyle Pavilion  

Tue, 08/25/2009 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom

Fri, 08/28/2009 San Diego, CA Street Scene

Sun, 08/30/2009 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands

Tue, 09/01/2009 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue

Wed, 09/02/2009 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium

Thu, 09/03/2009 Billings, MT Alberta Blair Theater

Fri, 09/04/2009 Missoula, MT Wilma Theater

Sat, 09/05/2009 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory

Mon, 09/07/2009 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot

Ov the paradox of light at the heart of the darkness, from the King of Pain himself...

By Blurt Staff

Wow... some press releases that get slipped over the BLURT transom are just so irresistible, in a shooting-ducks-in-a-barrel sense, that they send collective shivers of delight through we staffers. Suffice to say, on a day when neither Courtney Love nor Trent Reznor appears to be having a meltdown of any sort, it's wonderful to be able to share this with you, gentle BLURT readers....

***

This fall, Sting will release a new album dedicated to his favorite season - Winter - a season which has inspired countless songwriters over the centuries and produced a wealth of music exploring all of its many guises. "If On a Winter's Night..." presents an arc of songs that conjures the season of spirits, resulting in a haunting, spiritual and reflective musical journey.     

The album arrives October 27 from classical label Deutsche Grammophon.

"The theme of winter is rich in inspiration and material," comments Sting; "by filtering all of these disparate styles into one album I hope we have created something refreshing and new."  He continues, "Our ancestors celebrated the paradox of light at the heart of the darkness, and the consequent miracle of rebirth and the regeneration of the seasons."  

In collaboration with esteemed producer and arranger, Robert Sadin, "If On a Winter's Night..." features traditional music of the British Isles as its starting point. Sting and guest musicians interpret a stirring collection of songs, carols, and lullabies including The Snow it Melts the Soonest (traditional Newcastle ballad),  A Soalin' (traditional English "begging" song) Gabriel's Message (14th century carol), Balulalow (lullaby by Peter Warlock) and Now Winter Comes Slowly (Henry Purcell).

Two of Sting's own compositions are also featured on the album, Lullaby for an Anxious Child  and The Hounds of Winter, which originally appeared on his previous release Mercury Falling,  alongside Hurdy Gurdy Man, - a musical reworking and English translation (by Sting) of Der Leiermann from Schubert's classic winter song-cycle Winterreise.

For this exploration of the themes and emotions of Winter, Sting is joined by friend and long time colleague, guitarist Dominic Miller. Additional guests include an ensemble of three remarkable musicians from Northern England and Scotland: Kathryn Tickell (fiddle and Northumbrian pipes) Julian Sutton (melodeon) and Mary MacMaster (metal string Scottish harp), along with Daniel Hope (violin), Vincent Ségal (cello), Chris Botti and Ibrahim Maalouf, (trumpet), Cyro Baptista and Bijan Chemirani (percussion), the Webb Sisters (vocals) and Stile Antico (vocal ensemble).  

Musicians involved include Devendra Banhart, MGMT, Jamie Lidell and Nigel Godrich.

By Blurt Staff

Whattaya get when you combine the ever-chameleonic Beck along with a host of like-minded mavericks? (No, not John McCain or Sarah Palin - try Devendra Banhart, MGMT, Jamie Lidell and Nigel Godrich among his proposed recording mates.) Why, remakes of entire albums, done in one-day sessions and posted one track at a time each week!

Beck.com will be undergoing an extensive overhaul in the next month. It will feature several new sections, including Record Club, a regular meeting of various musicians to record an entire album in one day.  Due to the time constraints involved in recording a record in a day, an album will be chosen to be covered and used as a framework for the proceedings. Nothing will be rehearsed or arranged ahead of time. A track from these sessions will be uploaded once a week on Beck.com, as well as through the web sites of those involved in the project.

Record Club will be an ongoing experiment visitors to the site will be able to follow from week to week.  

The first album attempted--one of the few everyone could agree on--will be The Velvet Underground & Nico.

114-year old home where David McComb once lived and practiced with the band to be demolished - unless a certain Midnight Oil vocalist steps in.

By Fred Mills

Fans of Australia's Triffids - whose latest reissues were reviewed by BLURT here - will recognize the name David McComb. The late vocalist is suddenly in the news again in the wake of his former house in Western Australia being slated for demolition.

Known as "The Cliffe," the 114-year old  McComb home, located on Devil's Elbow overlooking Freshwater Bay, apparently holds significant historical and archival importance well beyond the Triffids connection, and supporters trying to block the demolition have organized a petition and letter writing campaign to halt its imminent destruction and, ultimately, to have the aging structure restored. Many of those signing it, of course, are Triffids fans, but the effort has significant support among the non-musical community as well.

A local councilor, John Downson, was quoted in Australian papers as saying, "The valuations for the property have come down, making the place more affordable to prospective buyers and restoration more feasible. New reports on the condition of the property have contradicted those that the government relied on when making its decision to scrap its heritage listing and given the place a very high tick of approval as a heritage gem. But we understand that everything hinges on the goodwill of Mr Creasy."

The "Mr. Creasy" mentioned refers to mining entrepreneur Mark Creasy, the current owner of the house; he has apparently agreed to "wait for a list of alternatives" to demolition.

The Australian government is taking an interest in the matter, and the government minister in charge of making the final decision is none other than Environment Minister Peter Garrett - that's right, the frontman for Midnight Oil who turned politician.

For more details on the story, go to the Save The Cliffe site.

Pictured above is the house; below, early photo of the Triffids rehearsing in the coach house.

***

In other Triffids news, band watchers have known for some time now that a book about McCombs and the band was in the works, and now word arrives that Penguin Australia will be publishing it in August via the Fremantle Press imprint. In the publisher's advance blurb for Vagabond Hole we are advised thusly:

It is over thirty years since David McComb's haunting music and lyrics inspired a generation. Now, thanks to sold out tribute concerts Australia-wide and the remastering of the complete Triffids oeuvre, a new generation is discovering his life's work. Editors Niall Lucy and Chris Coughran bring together friends, family and fans in this book of stories, poems and artworks about the Triffids.

Contributors will include Nick Cave and a host of musicians and journalists, including BLURT's own Wilson Neate, plus Jonathan Alley, Jill Birt, Martyn Casey, David Cavanagh, Nick Cave, Claire Colebrook, Chris Laurie Duggan, John Dyer, Robert Forster, Judith Lucy, Niall Lucy, Alsy MacDonald, Andrew McGowan, Robert McComb, Gavin Martin, Steve Miller, Denise Nestor, David Nichols, Rob Snarski, Jon Stratton and others.

No word yet on whether the book will be made available in America.

Man in his 20s is unidentified; may have been drug related.

By Blurt Staff

Yesterday evening Tennessee newspaper The Shelbyville Times-Gazette  reported that the body of an unidentified white man, who appeared to be in his twenties, was found at the Bonnaroo site by a cleaning crew on Tuesday. He was found in his tent and had been last seen alive at or around 3 p.m. on Monday, according to the report.

No signs of trauma were visible and an autopsy is being performed, said Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves, who speculated that it might be drug-related or due to a medical problem. "We don't know if he was a worker or someone who just lingered," Graves told reporters. "He looked to be in his 20s, maybe late 20s. It's hard to tell."

This makes the seventh Bonnaroo death since the annual festival kicked off 8 years ago. None were reported for the 2008 event.

Emily Haines & Co. performing at the 9:30 Club in Washington.

By Blurt Staff

Metric, fronted by Emily Haines, one of several lithesome females featured in a special rock ‘n' roll fashion pictorial in the upcoming issue of BLURT, are playing at D.C.'s 9:30 club TONIGHT, June 18, and for those of you who aren't in Washington or couldn't get tickets, you can hear the entire show streamed live over NPR Music. Metric's promoting their new album Fantasies (reviewed HERE).

The webcast is part of the radio network's "Live In Concert" series and is 100 % free - fire up your browsers around 10 pm EST. Here are the details:

WHAT:            NPR Music's "Live in Concert" series continues with a live performance from Canadian indie rock band Metric, featuring Broken Social Scene's Emily Haines on vocals.  All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen hosts the show, which will be streamed live and archived at www.npr.org/music/

WHEN:            TONIGHT, June 18 at approximately 10:00PM (ET)

WHERE:         Live at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105478436 The concert is being streamed live from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

By Blurt Staff

The 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival, to be held July 17th - 19th in Chicago's Union Park, is closing in, and the schedule is now officially set. Sunday tickets are now sold out. There is still a limited quantity of Friday and Saturday tickets available, and they can be purchased here: http://www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com 

Pitchfork Music Festival 2009 Schedule

FRIDAY, JULY 17
8:40 (A)  Built to Spill
7:20 (C)  The Jesus Lizard
6:10 (A)  Yo La Tengo
5:00 (C)  Tortoise

SATURDAY, JULY 18
8:40 (A)  The National
8:30 (B)  The Black Lips
7:30 (B)  Matt and Kim
7:25 (C)  Beirut
6:30 (B)  Lindstrøm
6:15 (A)  Doom
5:30 (B)  Wavves
5:15 (C)  Yeasayer
4:30 (B)  Ponytail
4:15 (A)  Final Fantasy
3:35 (B)  Bowerbirds
3:20 (C)  The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
2:40 (B)  The Antlers
2:30 (A)  Fucked Up
1:45 (C)  Plants and Animals
1:45 (B)  The Dutchess & The Duke
1:00 (A)  Cymbals Eat Guitars
1:00 (B)  Disappears

SUNDAY, JULY 19
8:40 (A)  The Flaming Lips
8:30 (B)  The Very Best
7:30 (B)  Mew
7:25 (C)  Grizzly Bear
6:30 (B)  Vivian Girls
6:15 (A)  M83
5:30 (B)  Japandroids
5:15 (C)  The Walkmen
4:30 (B)  DJ/Rupture
4:15 (A)  The Thermals
3:35 (B)  Women
3:20 (C)  Pharoahe Monch
2:40 (B)  The Killer Whales
2:30 (A)  Blitzen Trapper
1:45 (C)  Frightened Rabbit
1:45 (B)  Dianogah
1:00 (A)  The Mae Shi
1:00 (B)  Michael Columbia

A=Aluminum Stage, B=Balance Stage, C=Connector Stage

Cut latest tunes in Tucson at Wavelab Studios.

By Blurt Staff

With a career stretching back nearly four decades, and a catalog of more than 20 albums, Tom Russell is already considered one of the great singer/songwriters of our time. Nevertheless, his newest album, Blood and Candle Smoke, a collection of powerful observations and deliberations, takes his work to another level entirely with tremendous songwriting and a new, contemporary spark. Set for a September 15 release on Shout! Factory, Russell will promote the album with a national tour throughout the U.S. beginning in September.

For the new set, featuring some of his most intimate, insightful material, Russell ventured from his home in El Paso, Tex. (where he moved from New York 10 years ago), to Tucson' s Wave Lab Studios. Studio owner Craig Schumacher (Neko Case, Iron & Wine, Calexico) co-produced the album with Russell and Joey Burns, John Convertino, Jacob Valenzuela of local heroes Calexico provided the bulk of the instrumental support.

The Tucson connection came about after Russell heard the soundtrack to the Bob Dylan film I' m Not There, which featured several younger artists interpreting Dylan songs. "The ones that really stood out to me were the ones backed by Calexico," says Russell. "I thought, how great is that--you've got a new kind of world/mariachi sound but the great writing of Bob Dylan....So I did more research and I found that a lot of the records Calexico, Neko Case and others were making came out of this one studio in Tucson called Wave Lab. I went in there for two weeks and sat on a stool and sang everything live with my guitar, and they built it around that," says Russell about recording with members of Calexico, Craig Schumacher and the other talented musicians who joined them in the studio.

The consummate storyteller, Russell has amassed a devoted following that cherishes his vivid, novelistic tales evoking the spirit of the American experience in tightly constructed, panoramic vignettes. Among his most ardent fans are fellow artists; Johnny Cash, Doug Sahm, k.d. lang, Ramblin'  Jack Elliott, Iris Dement, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, Ian Tyson, Nanci Griffith, and Guy Clark have all recorded Tom' s songs.

But all of that work has been a first act. The dozen new songs comprising Blood and Candle Smoke "start the second half of the story, reaching out toward wider realms," he says, 25 years after the release of his debut solo album, Heart on a Sleeve.

The songs on Blood and Candle Smoke, which follows the 2008 Shout! Factory career retrospective Veteran's Day: The Tom Russell Anthology, were all written by Russell about his life experiences. In a lived-in, tenacious voice, Russell recalls his time spent teaching in Africa in the late 60's in "East of Woodstock, West of Viet Nam," and "Criminology," which has a West African/reggae feel to it. "Santa Ana Wind," a ballad influenced by the author Joan Didion which features Gretchen Peters and Nick Luka on steel guitar, brings to mind the duets of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris.

"Nina Simone" recounts Russell's first exposure to the legendary vocalist, hearing her interpretation of Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" while in Mexico, and "Crosses of San Carlos" broaches the subject of the Native American experience. "Finding You" is a simple love ballad to Russell' s wife, and  "Mississippi River Runnin'  Backwards" touches on Hurricane Katrina, and evokes an America that' s all but disappeared, one of "old ladies gamblin'  in riverboat casinos, whirlpools swallowed ' em down, insurance executives and Fuller Brush salesmen, bushwhacked tryin'  to leave town."

The movie-esque "The Most Dangerous Woman in America" is a tribute to Mother Jones that is also a story about a man coming home from prison, and is a song which Russell likens to something that Bruce Springsteen might have written for his Nebraska album. The dark side of a musician' s life on the road in "Don' t Look Down," and "Guadalupe"--which Russell calls "probably my favorite song that I've written" and from whose lyrics the album title Blood and Candle Smoke is taken, is about witnessing the passionate spirit and faith of the Indians in Mexico City. "American Rivers" again references the American Indian, with an ecological message to the story. The album ends with "Darkness Visible," another snapshot of an America that never makes the headlines, its title drawn from a William Styron book. "It's kind of a carnival song," says Russell. "The carnival is over, the circus has left town, and this poor loveless guy is putting up posters for the next show."

With its top notch songwriting and beautiful production, Blood and Candle Smoke is sure to be a career defining album for Tom Russell. "I've finally arrived at a newer sound that I like, and 12 new songs that I really like," he says. "I think I' m really stepping forward into a bigger, broader world with this album."

Track Listing:

1. East Of Woodstock, West Of Viet Nam

2. Santa Ana Wind

3. Nina Simone

4. Criminology

5. Crosses Of San Carlos

6. Finding You

7. Mississippi River Runnin'  Backwards

8. The Most Dangerous Woman In America

9. Don' t Look Down

10. Guadalupe

11. American Rivers

12. Darkness Visible

Tom Russell 2009 Tour Dates

Sept 18       Albuquerque, NM - El Rey Theater

Sept 19       Durango, CO - Henry Strater Theatre

Sept 30       Cambridge, MA - Club Passims

Oct 2         Piermont, NY - Turning Point

Oct 3         New York, NY - Joe' s Pub

Oct 4         Vienna, VA - Jammin'  Java

Oct 6         Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theatre

Oct 7         Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom

Oct 8         Columbus, OH - Columbus Maennerchor

Oct 9         Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark

Oct 10        Berwyn, IL - Fitzgerald

Oct 11        Fairfield, IA - Café Paradiso

Oct 13        Columbia, MO - The Blue Note

Oct 14        Kansas City, MO 0 Knuckleheads

Oct 15        Springfield, IL - Hoogland Center for the Arts

Oct 16        St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway

Oct 17        Mt. Olive, IL - Turner Hall

Nov 4         Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room

Nov 5         Tucson, AZ - Club Congress

Nov 6         Pinos Altos, NM - Buckhorn Saloon

Nov 7         Las Cruces, NM - Rio Grande Theatre

Nov 8         Santa Fe, NM - Santa Fe Brewing Company

Nov 10        Fort Worth, TX - McDavid Studio

Nov 11        Dallas, TX - Allgood Café

Nov 12        Austin, TX - Cactus Café

Nov 13        Fischer, TX - Rice Festival

Nov 14        Houston, TX  - Mucky Duck

Nov 15        San Antonio, TX - Casbeers at the Church

Dec 4         San Diego, CA - San Diego Acoustic Café

Dec 5         Santa Monica, CA - McCabes

Dec 6         Ojai, CA - Ojai Concert Series

Dec 7         Visalia, CA - Maverick' s Roasting Company

Dec 9         Felton, CA - Don Quixote

Dec 10        Redwood City, CA - Little Fox Theatre

Dec 11        Berkeley, CA - Freight and Salvage

Dec 12        Winters, CA - The Palms

Dec 13        Sparks, NV - Great Basin Brewing Company

Dec 14        Sparks, NV - Great Basin Brewing Company

Dec 15        Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre

Dec 16        Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern

More fun than a barrelful of Hendrix-related lawsuits!

By Blurt Staff

Paris/Ottawa Live, historic ‘in concert' recordings from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, never before offered at retail, together with a unique and exclusive collection of Hendrix memorabilia are bundled together in a special offering to be released August 11^th from Dagger Records, the official ‘bootleg' label created by Experience Hendrix (www.jimihendrix.com) through Geffen Records/UMe. This limited edition "fan pack" will be offered exclusively through Amazon.com.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live 1968 Paris/Ottawa features live performances of such Hendrix classics as "Purple Haze," "The Wind Cries Mary," and "Little Wing" recorded by RTE, the national French broadcasting company.  The January 29, 1968 Paris concert was the band's third foray to the fabled L ‘Olympia Theater where they had debuted as an opening act for the French pop star Johnny Halliday's two years earlier. The Ottawa performances were taped  by Hendrix himself during the group's appearance at the Capitol Theater on March 19^th  of that same year and include a "Hendrixized" version of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band."

In a real nod to the bygone era, a similar, yet distinct, pack will have as its centerpiece a custom, swirled, colored vinyl album version of Jimi Hendrix Experience Paris '67.  These recordings document Hendrix's wildly exuberant October 9, 1967 performance at L'Olympia originally recorded for French radio broadcast and never before released to the public.  The album features performances of "Stone Free," "Hey Joe," "Wild Thing" as well as other notable Hendrix hits.

Materials specifically created for and exclusively included in both versions include a ‘Jimi' poster, a postcard set replicating classic Hendrix concert posters, a set of badges reminiscent of the sixties era, a Hendrix iPod Skin and a "PikCARD" loaded, so to speak, with four guitar picks adorned with Hendrix artwork from the concert posters. The array of goodies is topped off with an "all access" laminated pass with an exclusive, secret code designed to unlock special Hendrix content online.

Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, the family owned company entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix, commented, "The concept behind this ‘Fan Pack' is to throw a spotlight on Jimi as a live performer and give a glimmer of what it might have been like to encounter ‘The Experience' when Jimi had the band at its peak.   Jimi never failed to stun and leave audiences breathless with his performance and guitar virtuosity and we think fans today will be no less moved by the offerings included in these packs. This release highlights Dagger's role in serving fans who want all Jimi had to offer and can't get enough of his legacy and genius."

Hendrix at Woodstock:

First of a number of Velvets songs in the pipeline, we presume.

By Blurt Staff

Seems like it was just yesterday we posted the news about Beck starting his "Record Club" in which he and some pals cover classic albums in their entirety. Say - it WAS just yesterday! And now we get word that his Beckness has already posted a track from the sessions in which he rerecorded The Velvet Underground and Nico.

It's "Sunday Morning," and you can check it out at Beck.com, complete with a quirky, accompanying video. Guess what? It's quite good! Quite.

And hey, let's revisit that deluxe edition set while we're on the subject...

By Blurt Staff

On September 18, 2008 Sigur Rós recorded an AOL Spinner Interface session in NYC, the first live session of its kind for the band. The session debuts today, Friday, June 19^th.

Supporting then-new Flood-produced album Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust, the band played four songs:  "Vid Spilum Endalaust", "Fljotavik", "Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur", and "Illgresi".

Meanwhile, the band's handlers don't want you to forget the recently released Med sud í eyrum vid spilum endalaust Deluxe Edition. The deluxe edition is a unique document of the creation of Sigur Rós' fifth album in film, photography and music. Given unprecedented access to the final stages of the making and release of the group's new album, photographer Eva Vermandel and film-maker Nicholas Abrahams created an intimate and revealing portrait of the Icelandic quartet at work on their most immediate record to date. The deluxe edition includes:

-          Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust CD

-          Vid spilum endalaust DVD

-          200-page book full of color large format fine art photography

-          Unique and exclusive 16mm film strip taken from the "Gobbledigook" video

-          DVD content includes: Vid spilum endalaust, Ára bátur at Abbey Road and Gobbledigook video

It'll set ya back a sweet $79.98.

In other Sigur Rós' band member news, lead singer Jón Pór Birgisson and his partner Alex Somers' artistic collaboration under the moniker Riceboy Sleeps will be releasing a self-titled album on July 21^st via XL Recordings. The early fruits of this collaboration surfaced in physical form for the first time a few months back with the track "Happiness" on the Dark Was The Night Red Hot compilation.

Say, what's with all those upper case letters?

By Blurt Staff

"It is with great pleasure," begins the press release slipped over the BLURT transom, "that THE FLAMING LIPS announces their brand new double-album entitled, EMBRYONIC, to be released later this year. This marks their first full studio set in three years following their Grammy Award-winning AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS.  EMBRYONIC, THE LIPS' 12th album, was recorded in Fredonia, NY and Oklahoma City, OK, with studio whiz and general co-conspirator Dave Fridmann and just may be their most sonically adventurous and compositionally vernal form of musical expression ever."

US tour dates have just been confirmed and the Lips plan to reward fans purchasing tickets by giving them a sneak peek at the new album.  With every concert ticket bought online, fans will receive a digital EP allowing them to hear new Lips music before anyone else. The EP will be comprised of three brand new recordings from EMBRYONIC: "Convinced Of The Hex," "The Impulse," and "Silver Trembling Hands," followed by three additional rare B-side tracks selected by the band themselves. That same ticket buyer will also receive an official live digital download bootleg of the show they attend. Leading online distribution company Basecamp Productions is facilitating the production and delivery of the live music.

How it works:   Each fan who buys a ticket will receive a special code that allows them to get their music from the band's official website (www.flaminglips.com).

Meanwhile, a new Lips micro-site will be launched tomorrow, June 24. Go to FlamingLips.com for info, merchandise and much more, including details on the upcoming tour, which will kick off August 15 in Del Mar, CA, ad the Del Mar Race Track. (They're also set to play the big Pitchfork festival in Chicago on July 19.)

Tour Dates:

08-15 Del Mar, CA - Del Mar Race Track Infield
08-17 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theater
08-18 Pomona, CA - Fox Theater
08-20 Portland, OR - Edgefield Amphitheater
08-21 Seattle, WA - Marymoor Amphitheater
08-23 Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater *
08-26 Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheater
08-28 Washington, DC - Merriweather Post Pavilion
08-29 Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier
08-30 Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
09-04 Barcelona, Spain - Estadi Olimpic $
09-07 Paris, France - Parc des Princes $+
09-09 Nijmegen, Holland - Goffertpark $+
09-13 Monticello, NY - ATP New York

* with Explosions in the Sky, Stardeath and White Dwarfs
$ with Coldplay
+ with Bat for Lashes

Self-titled collaboration from the Almighty Defenders  arrives Sept. 22.

By Blurt Staff

When the Black Lips had to flee India after almost getting arrested and getting their passports confiscated they fled to Berlin to hole up with their old pal and label-mate King Khan.  Mark Sultan (aka BBQ, one half of King Khan & BBQ Show) also happened to be there, and it happened to be freezing in Berlin that week so no one really wanted to leave the house.

So what do a bunch of garage-rock all-stars (and international refugees) do in the middle of winter in cramped conditions? They give birth to an album and band of the same name, The Almighty Defenders. The guys went to Moon Studios and recorded an elpee's worth of tracks, brimming with soul, earnest shouts, cries and hand-claps over post-modern gospel-rock anthems.

This album is being released on LP and digitally on Vice Records on September 22^.

Almighty Defenders: http://www.myspace.com/thealmightydefenders

Meanwhile, check the new issue of BLURT, due on newsstands any day now, for an exclusive feature on King Khan himself.

Also have a stealth club gig on sale now, plus deluxe reissue of Hello Nasty en route on the heels of Ill Communication.

By Blurt Staff

The title, release date and complete track listing for Beastie Boys' eighth studio album have been confirmed: Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 will be released September 15 by Capitol in multiple configurations including a 5.1 surround mix; see the full tracklisting, below.

Meanwhile, the first Beastie Boys headline date confirmed to follow the album's release, the band's debut stand at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl on September 24, has sold out.  Further dates will be announced as they are confirmed. Prior to that, the band will appear at the All Points West and Lollapalooza festivals, the latter of which will be preceded by a just-announced intimate Beastie Boys show at the Congress in Chicago on Thursday, August 6.

The presale for the Congress show is already underway HERE (password is RAPPERS). The full public on-sale will be Friday at 10am Chicago time at FrontGateTickets.com - if there are any tix left, of course.

For a look at how the Beasties fare in such smaller settings, go HERE to read our review of the band's show a few weeks ago at Asheville's 950-cap. Orange Peel venue.

 
 Finally, the last installment of the deluxe, remastered, expanded Beastie Boys catalogue reissues will be dropping in advance of the new record: the band's multi-platinum, Grammy-winning 1998 opus Hello Nasty will be given the 2-CD/vinyl box set/multi-format treatment beginning with an August 17 pre-order/digital release and will hit stores August 25. (The deluxe reissue for Ill Communication has already been announced for July 14.)

Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 track listing:
 
 1. Tadlock's Glasses
 
 2. B-Boys In The Cut
 
 3. Make Some Noise
 
 4. Nonstop Disco Powerpack
 
 5. OK
 
 6. Too Many Rappers (featuring NAS)
 
 7. Say It
 
 8. The Bill Harper Collection
 
 9. Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold)
 
 10. Long Burn The Fire
 
 11. Bundt Cake
 
 12. Funky Donkey
 
 13. Lee Majors Come Again
 
 14. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
 
 15. Pop Your Balloon
 
 16. Crazy Ass Shit
 
 17. Here's A Little Something For Ya

This time it's the entire original lineup. Check out that original vintage Sub Pop photo, too!

By Blurt Staff

Following a more than 10 year hiatus, all four original members of Seattle's Sunny Day Real Estate will regroup for a 20-date US tour starting Sept. 17^th. In addition, Sub Pop Records will re-issue both Diary and the band's second full-length album, commonly known as LP2 (or "The Pink Album" for its entirely pink cover). Both re-mastered albums will include rare bonus tracks as well as newly written liner notes and will be released on both CD and LP Sept. 15.

The backstory:

Originally formed in Seattle in 1992, Sunny Day Real Estate featured Nate Mendel (bass), William Goldsmith (drums), Dan Hoerner (guitar,vocals) and Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar). Diary, the band's first full-length album, was released in 1994 on Sub Pop, going on to become the seventh-best selling record in the label's history with more than 231,000 copies scanned in the US alone. Diary was recorded at Chicago's Idful Studios with producer Brad Wood and released to critical acclaim. Following the completion of a US Tour to support the debut release, the group headed back into the studio with Wood to record the follow-up.

But during the recording sessions, internal tensions splintered Sunny Day Real Estate, resulting in a sudden break-up and the finished album being turned in to Sub Pop without a title or artwork. LP2 was released in November 1995, by which time both Goldsmith and Mendel had joined Foo Fighters and Enigk had begun a solo career. Without Mendel, Sunny Day Real Estate reunited in 1997 and released two more studio albums (the 1998 Sub Pop release How It Feels to Be Something On and in 2000 The Rising Tide on Time Bomb) before disbanding again in 2001. 

"I wasn't around for the second version of the band that recorded the 3^rd and 4^th albums, so I've always had a feeling of unfinished business there," Mendel said, in a statement.  "We had all these outsized ideas back then, ‘Everyone's going to learn a new instrument,' and ‘Let's do a rock opera,' but before we could get anywhere with them, the band broke up. We left behind all these weird and beautiful songs, though, and they've stuck with me all this time. I'm really happy that we get a chance to play them together again."

Meanwhile, Jeremy Enigk has a new solo album, OK Bear, and we have a review of it to be posted later this week. "Earthy, singer-songwriter music with flashes of prog-like bombast topped by Enigk's gorgeous melodies and lyrics that suggest more than they say," is our ace reviewer's 8-star (out of 10) assessment.

Sunny Day Real Estate Tour Dates:

September 17^th            Vancouver, BC/Commodore Ballroom      

September 18^th            Portland/Crystal Ballroom (Musicfest NW)

September 20^th            Salt Lake City/Murray Theater

September 21^st             Denver/Ogden Theater

September 23^rd            Minneapolis/First Avenue

September 24^th            Chicago/Metro

September 25^th            Detroit/St Andrews Hall

September 27^th            New York/Terminal 5

September 28^th            Boston/House of Blues

September 30^th            Washington DC/930 Club

October 1^st                   Philadelphia/Trocadero

October 3^rd                  Atlanta/CW Center Stage

October 5^th                  Dallas/Granada Theater

October 6^th                  Houston/Warehouse Live

October 7^th                  Austin/La Zona Rosa

October 9^th                  Tempe/Marquee Theatre

October 10^th                Anaheim/House of Blues

October 11^th                Los Angeles/Henry Fonda Theater

October 13^th                San Francisco/Fillmore

October 15^th                Spokane/Knitting Factory

October 16^th                Seattle/Paramount Theatre

Something about a rabbit?

By Blurt Staff

Nick Cave fans got an early Xmas gift recently when word emerged from the Cave camp that the Bad Seeds mainman will be issuing his latest novel on September 8 via Faber & Faber. Titled The Death of Bunny Munro, it's the 20-year followup to And The Ass Saw the Angel.

According to Spinner.com, the book "is set in Brighton, the English coastal town where Cave resides... an English seaside comic drama with a lusty, lost and charmingly grotesque main character." It was apparently a screenplay originally, Cave drafting his tale in the wake of his work with The Proposition director John Hillcoat, but as both Hillcoat and Cave subsequently busied themselves with other projects, Cave turned it into a book.

Cave is slated to do a book signing in NYC at Barnes and Noble Union Square on Sept. 14.

A critique of a critique, from your friendly Southern staffers. Drinking iced tea, natch.

By Blurt Staff

Here at BLURT we like to read music biographies - lots and lots of them, in fact. Sometimes several per week. Then we like to write about them, assuming of course there's something worthwhile to report. Since launching our website just over a year ago, we've published 62 book reviews, in fact, tipping you to some genuinely great reads.

In the instance of the recently-published Cat Power: A Good Woman (Three Rivers Press), however, we write about the book in order to WARN you, our readership. In a four-star (out of ten possible) critique, ace reviewer Jake Cline calls author Elizabeth Goodman, late of Blender, for the "many exaggerations, simplifications and mistakes that plague the book... [You] would do well to ignore the biography altogether."

Of course, the question arises: do we even need a bio yet on Chan Marshall? Aside from her loony claims of being Spooner Oldham's love child, is she even that interesting?

Admittedly Marshall tried to block Goodman's efforts in chronicling her turbulent career as a diva-in-making, browbeating friends and associates into not cooperating with the writer. So Goodman, determined to soldier on, was left to assemble whatever facts she could without talking directly to her subject. Still, as Cline points out, "The book is riddled with one groan-inducing claim after another: ‘[Marshall has] a real influence now on music, of course, but also on fashion, on literature, on art in general ... . ‘ ‘Being associated with Cat Power gave [Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder] the sheen of contemporary relevance.' ‘Chan is a Gatsby.'"

Wow. Those are some serious howlers. And we can't help but slap our knees and guffaw like our dear ol' departed grandpappy at the way Goodman, apparently one of them durn northerners, depicts the South, where Marshall lived for a good while. You can read what Cline had to say about that in the review. Meanwhile, we have to go fix us a tall cool one of iced tea....

Don't call ‘em wimps, bucko...

By Blurt Staff

The mighty Zeros return for some selected summer dates after 15 year hiatus. The band is reuniting with the original lineup that played a key part in the rise of Punk on the West Coast with Javier Escovedo, Robert Lopez ("El Vez"), Hector Penalosa, and Baba Chenelle. They'll play a string of shows in late June and then later in mid July; see dates listed below.

The back story:

The teenaged Zeros blasted out of the South Bay suburb of Chula Vista at the dawn of the punk explosion in 1976, and played their first major show the following year at L.A.'s decaying Orpheum Theater, known as the Hollywood Punk Palace. That gig was notable as well for being the debut of The Germs, and also an early appearance of quirky art-rockers The Weirdos. All three bands would become integral to West Coast punk, and epitomize its sometimes destructive collision of collective musical passion and personal excess. The hook-laden garage punk of The Zeros, with influences that ranged from the New York Dolls, Stooges, David Bowie, Velvet Underground, T-Rex, and Kiss to '60s proto-punk bands like the Seeds, Standells, and the Animals, earned them a recording deal with Bomp Records, which released the raucous single, "Wimp"/"Don't Push Me Around" in '77, followed a year later by "Beat Your Heart Out"/"Wild Weekend."

The Zeros, after relocating in San Francisco, would go on to play at such renowned venues as The Masque, Whisky Au Go-Go, and the Starwood in L.A.; San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens, Deaf Club, and Temple Beautiful; and CBGB and Max's Kansas City in New York. The band often found itself at key moments in the evolutionary punk/new wave timeline. On March 17, 1979, returning to L.A. to play a show with X, The Alleycats, The Go-Go's, The Plugz, and The Wipers at Elks Lodge Hall, The Zeros barely got to relax after their set when the show was interrupted by the notoriously punk-hating, baton-wielding LAPD. The night ended in a minor riot. The "St. Patrick's Day Massacre" became the stuff of history.

Over the years both Escovedo and Lopez have hinted that a Zeros reunion might happen; talking to BLURT some time ago (back before we were BLURT), Lopez, prior to an El Vez performance, enthused about how much fun the band had been as he signed several Zeros record sleeves.

So here we go!

Tour Dates:

6/25/2009 AT BAR PINK IN SAN DIEGO, CA

6/26/2009 AT 924 GILMAN IN BERKELEY, CA

6/27/2009 AT 924 GILMAN IN BERKELEY, CA

7/16/2009 AT THE TROUBADOUR IN LOS ANGELES, CA

7/17/2009 AT ELBO ROOM IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Spotty but viewable, and rare, footage of the band on TV in the late ‘70s, followed by a very odd but compelling looking homemade live clip:

Wiretree, The Clean, James Blackshaw, Silent Years, the Gossip.

By Blurt Staff

It's officially New Music Tuesday at BLURT, which means, quite logically, you can hear some new music today (Tuesday, duh) at BLURT.

What, pray tell, is the new music in question? Glad you asked! Glom onto these ace MP3s:

Wiretree - Big Coat (off Bouldin, Cobaltworks Records)

The Clean - In the Dreamlife you need a Rubber Soul. (off Mr. Pop, Merge Records)

James Blackshaw - The Cross (off The Glass Bead Game, Young God Records)

The Silent Years - Madame Shocking (off Let Go, Sidecho Records)

Gossip - Heavy Cross (off Music for Men, Columbia Records)

Just click on the BLURT Radio icon on the right-hand side of our homepage and wait for the music player to pop up in a separate window. Then enjoy some fine listening!

And check back every week, same BLURT-time, same BLURT-channel, to hear the latest streaming goodies, all personally netted, vetted and hand-selected by our trained staff of highly evolved primates. Why? Because at BLURT, we care.

Hugely influential albums get the deluxe treatment courtesy Bar/None. Bonus material will be digital only, however. Sigh...

By Blurt Staff

Bar/None Records has plans re-release two classic albums by the Feelies, that critically acclaimed crew of hyperactive alt rockers from Haledon, New Jersey that had such a  powerful influence on the sound of indie music 1980s and beyond.

Their debut release, 1980's Crazy Rhythms, is a masterwork of perfectly honed minimalist rock that leaps and darts into the corners of the listener's consciousness, a true sonic tour de force that Rolling Stone deemed one of the "100 Best Albums of the 1980s."  Fans of the Velvet Underground, Wire and Brian Eno's early solo work will surely appreciate the "forces at work" (to quote a song title!) on this masterpiece.

Their follow-up recording, The Good Earth, came some six years later, co-produced by Feelies' co-regents Glenn Mercer and Bill Million with REM's Peter Buck (a Feelies admirer since his days as a record store clerk). The Good Earth was an early release on Coyote Records, the label founded and run Steve Fallon, also the original owner of famed Hoboken indie roc mecca, Maxwell's. This album introduced the line-up that continues to this day.

 Both albums feature deluxe packaging (CD and vinyl LP) with liner notes by Jim Deragotis and Jim Sullivan respectively. As the band consider each album to be a discrete aesthetic artifact, the copious bonus material including demos, b-sides, EP tracks and some new live recordings from the re-united group will be included on digital download cards.

  Crazy Rhythms   and The Good Earth will be released to coincide with the Feelies'  September performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival where they will perform the classic Crazy Rhythms  in its entirety.

 Summer activities for the group include an acoustic performance at the Whitney Museum in New York City on June 26 as part of the Dan Graham Retrospective, as well as a free show at the Pritzke Pavillion in Chicago's Millennium Park on June 29, and a series of shows at Maxwells in Hoboken over the 4^th of July weekend. 

 Crazy Rhythms:

01 The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness
02 Fa cé-La
03 Loveless Love
04 Forces at Work
05 Original Love
06 Everybody's Got Something to Hide (Except Me and My Monkey)
07 Moscow Nights
08 Raised Eyebrows
09 Crazy Rhythms


Crazy Rhythms bonus tracks:

01 Fa cé-La (single version)
02 The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness (Carla Bley demo version)
03 Moscow Nights (Carla Bley demo version)
04 Crazy Rhythms (live)
05 I Wanna Sleep in Your Arms (live) (Modern Lovers cover)


The Good Earth:

01 On the Roof
02 The High Road
03 The Last Roundup
04 Slipping (Into Something)
05 When Company Comes
06 Let's Go
07 Two Rooms
08 The Good Earth
09 Tomorrow Today
10 Slow Down


The Good Earth bonus tracks:

01 She Said, She Said (Beatles cover)
02 Sedan Delivery (Neil Young cover)
03 Slipping (Into Something) (live)

Live digital-only EP as a teaser to be followed by a full-length concert album.

By Blurt Staff

This just in from the R.E.M. camp. Meanwhile, watch for a full review of the Reckoning reissue at BLURT later this week.

***

On July 7th, look for "Reckoning Songs From The Olympia," a 4-song digital ep, available for download at iTunes and other online outlets. The live release follows on the heels of the Reckoning Deluxe Edition, which was issued on June 23^rd, and includes "Harborcoat," "Letter Never Sent," "Second Guessing," and "Pretty Persuasion," from the band's Working Rehearsals at Dublin's Olympia Theatre.

"Reckoning Songs From The Olympia," will give fans a sneak peek at R.E.M. Live At The Olympia, set for an October on Warner Bros. The 2-CD set features songs from R.E.M.'s storied five-night stint at the Olympia in the summer of 2007.

The live sessions, produced by Jacknife Lee, capture the energy and excitement surrounding R.E.M.'s so-called "experiment in terror," an unprecedented move in the band's career, in which they debuted and simultaneously ironed out several new tracks each night before sold-out audiences. Eleven of the tracks would come to form the basis of Accelerate R.E.M.'S 14th studio record which later shot straight to number one in 7 countries; the live sessions, carefully referred to by the band throughout as "working rehearsals" rather than shows in the conventional sense, also included songs from the band's deep back catalog - "olive branches" in Michael's parlance - from some of the band's earliest albums: Murmur, Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, Lifes Rich Pageant, and Document.

The mighty Greg Cartwright of the Reigning Sound produced. What's not to like!

By Blurt Staff

BLURT heroes The Ettes are back on September 29 with Do You Want Power, the third LP from the revved up and relentless beat-punk trio of Coco Hames (vocals, guitar), Jem Cohen (bass) and Poni Silver (drums, fashion).  Sharp-eyed BLURT readers will also recognize the Hames name from our roster of ever-entertaining bloggers, and you can go HERE to check out her latest entry (hint: you don't have to be a fan of the band Nelson to dig where she's comin' from).

Fresh off their tour with the Kings of Leon, and the release of their raw, Dan Auerbach-produced EP, Danger Is, The Ettes invited Asheville-based garage legend Greg Cartwright (of Reigning Sound/Oblivians fame, he's also worked with Jay Reatard and Mary Weiss) to produce Do You Want Power. Recorded in the band's new hometown of Nashville, the album was completed in a marathon five-day session and finds the band putting songcraft at the forefront without sacrificing their exquisitely satisfying sonic assault.

Insistent and irresistible, Do You Want Power sees the Ettes charging into new territory with a revitalized, wall-of-sound collection of 13 original tracks, including a co-write with Cartwright, that range from the ‘60s Girl Pop of "I Can Be Your Lover (But I Can't Be Your Baby)" to the explosive "No Home."  Coco even makes a musical nod to their adopted city of Nashvegas with a couple of country-tinged numbers. The Ettes' new tracks perfectly capture the band's diverse musical loves -- early punk anthems, ‘60s pop and country (think Patsy Cline and Nancy Sinatra embracing ‘70s NYC punk).

The band will be touring heavily in late summer and into the fall, so check their MySpace page for updates: www.myspace.com/theettes . Their music will also be featured in an upcoming episode of HBO's Entourage as well as Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, the indie rock roller derby flick, Whip it!, out October 2009.

***

Ettes at BLURT:

http://blurt-online.com/features/view/131/

http://blurt-online.com/features/view/266/

http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/986/

Lotsa cool stuff you ain't heard yet!

By Blurt Staff

Some serious musical goodies over at NPR Music right now. Among the treats: one of their "Tiny Desk Concerts" featuring Blurt faves the Avett Brothers, and an advance stream of the upcoming Bjork album.

The Avetts' 3-song video clip shows them, accompanied by cellist Joe Kwon, doing "Laundry Room" from the upcoming album I and Love and You along with "Bella Donna" (from The Gleam II) and the unrecorded "Down With the Shine."

Then the Bjork material comprises her new album Voltaic, reworked/live-to-tape versions of Volta-related tunes. The album is out next week in both CD and DVD form, including a version containing some remixes.

Don't forget that Monsters of Folk thing, either.

By Blurt Staff

Billboard.com is reporting that  My Morning Jacket's Jim James has an August 4 release date pencilled in for the ATO release of his Tribute To George Harrison 6-song EP. Tunes include "Long, Long, Long," "Love You To," "Behind That Locked Door," "My Sweet Lord," "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp" and "All Things Must Pass" - the latter four all from Harri's All Things Must Pass classic. It's described as having a "raw minimalist feel" featuring just James and his acoustic guitar.

Details about the upcoming Monsters of Folk album featuring James, Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Mike Mogis, due Sept. 22 on Shangri-La, are also at the Billboard story.

Garage legend falls ill in Austin and is in ICU at St. David's hospital.

By Blurt Staff

Early Monday (June 22) Sky Sunlight Saxon (real name: Richard Marsh) of garage legends the Seeds was hospitalized in South Austin, Texas due to an undiagnosed condition. He remains in critical condition in the ICU at this date in St. David's South Austin Hospital. Doctors suspect an infection of the internal organs; further tests are pending upon stabilization. Temporary dialysis of the kidneys will begin in the next few days.

 
Sky Sunlight Saxon fell ill last Thursday in his new home of Austin. Despite feeling under the weather, on Saturday he performed a short set of Seeds classics at the local nightclub Antone's. He'd relocated to Austin not long ago and had been playing out backed by members of local band Shapes Have Fangs.

 
His wife Sabrina Saxon encourages fans and friends worldwide to send cards and balloons of encouragement, love and support to Sky at his room in the ICU. No flowers are allowed in this facility, but cards and balloons are welcome.

BLURT wishes the mighty vocalist a speedy recovery. This, of course, may impact the upcoming Seeds/Love/Electric Prunes tour, so keep posted for updates and further details.

 
Cards, balloons to:
 
St David's South Austin Hospital
901 West Ben White Boulevard
ICU-10 (Richard Marsh)
Austin, Texas 78704
 

 
For updates on his condition:

http://www.facebook.com/SabrinaSaxon

http://www.myspace.com/theseeds

"It's a great feeling," says Win Butler.

By Blurt Staff

Word arrives from the UK, courtesy New Musical Express, that the Arcade Fire has begun work on their third full-length. The as-yet-untitled project will be the followup to 2007's Neon Bible.

Speaking to the newspaper, frontman Win Butler commented, "None of us want to take three years making a record. It could be that we'll play live [soon] and maybe we'll end up bashing it [another album] out fast. We're in the middle of writing, things are coming together, it's a great feeling."

No word yet whether this one will come out on Merge as its predecessors did, but in interviews the band has always made it clear that they were very happy with how the label has treated them.

Butler also noted that while over the past year he hasn't had much desire to play live, the band having toured relentless up to and through the Neon Bible period, he's begun to get his mojo back: "If you had asked me [about playing live] six months ago I'd be like 'No, I'm good'. But now I go to a gig and I get the little...I can imagine being on that stage. It's the step before you actually go and do it."

Compilation includes M.Ward, Thermals and others and is intended to help fund the festival. There's also an additional concert on July 16 as a lead-in to the July 24-26 fest.

By Blurt Staff

The sixth annual PDX Pop Now! festival will be returning to Portland's Rotture (320 SE 2nd Ave) on July 24^th, 25^th  and  26^th. The free, all-ages festival will showcase Portland's thriving indie community, with acts as diverse as the Minus 5, Shaky Hands, Pierced Arrows, Menomena and Tara Jane O'Neil scheduled to perform. See full list below; full details at www.pdxpopnow.com.

Relatedly, on July 16^th, PDX Pop Now! will host "PDX Pop Now! at Portland City Hall," a free all-ages show on the steps of Portland's City Hall (1221 SW 4th Avenue) from 5-8:30pm. This lead-up to the PDX Pop Now! festival will feature performances by Y La Bamba, Point Juncture WA, and YACHT.  According to organizers, they are "thrilled to once again bring local music to the steps of Portland City Hall in a celebration of the unique climate of civic support independent music enjoys in our town.  By presenting a free, all-ages concert featuring some of the most exciting musicians creating in Portland today, and doing so in the middle of downtown just as many people are getting off of work and looking for a way to enjoy a summer evening, we intend to provide an accessible form for Portlanderss to discover and appreciate the staggering wealth and diversity of incredible music being made by their neighbors. Additionally, we hope to throw a bright light on the fact that involvement in one's local arts community is a legitimate and productive form of civic involvement, and one that can serve as a conduit to broader interest and participation in neighborhood and municipal affairs."  

Meanwhile, there's the 2009 PDX Pop Now! compilation: it's available at local retail outlets and online at CD Baby here. Proceeds from sales of the album go towards funding the festival and the rest of organization's activities.  The 6th installment of the heralded compilation features 40 tracks, including music from M. Ward, the Thermals, Jared Mees & The Grown Children, Starfucker, and Sandpeople as well as rare or previously unreleased tracks by Grouper, The Mint Chicks, Ethan Rose & Laura Gibson, Dykeritz, Explode Into Colors and Thrones. See below for some MP3s from the comp.

2009 Performers:

Ah Holly Fam'ly, Animal Farm, Au, Autistic Youth, Benoit Pioulard, Breakfast Mountain, Chamber of Commerce (Blue Cranes + Paxselin Quartet), Church, Cull, Daniel Menche, DASH!, Deelay Ceelay, Don Hellions, Explode Into Colors, Fear No Music, Fist Fite, Grouper, Guidance Counselor, Inside Voices, Jeffrey Jerusalem, Laura Gibson, Lightheaded, Luck-One, Magic Johnson, Menomena, Morning Teleportation, MY-G, Nice Nice, Nucular Aminals, Nurses, Peter Broderick, Pierced Arrows, Purple Rhinestone Eagle, Red Fang, Rob Walmart, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Strength, Tara Jane O'Neil, Teeath, The Andrew Oliver Sextet, The Estranged, The Mint Chicks, The Minus 5, The Old Believers, The Quick & Easy Boys, The Shaky Hands, Thrones and White Hinterland.

Explode Into Colors "Paper (Hot Sax Version)" MP3

Jared Mees & the Grown Children "The Tallest Building In Hell" MP3

Ethan Rose and Laura Gibson "Sun" MP3

Garage legend passes away in Austin from undisclosed infection.

By Fred Mills

Early this morning Sky Sunlight Saxon (real name: Richard Marsh) of garage legends the Seeds died in an Austin hospital. Depending on what source you consult, he was either born in 1937, 1945 or 1946 but most sources give the latter year. He'd been hospitalized in South Austin, Texas, on Monday due to an undiagnosed condition and remained in critical condition in the ICU in St. David's South Austin Hospital. Doctors suspected an infection of the internal organs; further tests were to be done upon stabilization and temporary dialysis of the kidneys was planned. The official cause of death has not been yet released, according to a report at Austin360.com.

 
Saxon fell ill last Thursday in his new home of Austin. Despite feeling under the weather, on Saturday he performed a short set of Seeds classics at the local nightclub Antone's. He'd relocated to Austin not long ago and had been playing out backed by members of local band Shapes Have Fangs.

His wife Sabrina Saxon posted the news on her Facebook page today, writing "Sky has passed over and YaHoWha is waiting for him at the gate. He will soon be home with his Father. I'm so sorry I couldn't keep him here with us. More later. I'm sorry."

This, of course, will throw the future of a previously announced Seeds/Love/Electric Prunes tour into uncertainty. No announcements have been made regarding that yet.

 
Saxon was a true rock ‘n' roll pioneer, founding the Seeds in 1965 and having a string of hits that would go on to be adjudged true garage classics, "Pushin' Too Hard" and "Can't Seem To Make You Mine" in particular. It's arguable that the band's fuzzed-out, churning style, powered by Saxon's snot-punk, sneer ‘n' wail, fully epitomized the so-called Nuggets aesthetic, and echoes of the Seeds' sound can be heard in virtually every garage band operating today. Tune in to Little Steven's Underground Garage radio show some weekend night for proof.

He later became a member of the Source Family commune in the early ‘70s and played and recorded with the Source house band, YaHoWha 13. Then in the ‘80s he resurfaced under his own name (variously, as Sky Saxon & Firewall, the Starry Seeds Band and simply Sky Saxon) to record a string of spotty but occasionally inspired albums.

During this period yours truly had an interesting encounter with Saxon on the phone one evening. We'd arranged to do an interview about his latest record, but about 5 minutes into the conversation he halted for a second then asked me, "Listen, do you want to talk to Jesus? Because he's right here." Another voice came on the line, and it turned out to be Saxon's personal guru at the time - I don't think I ever got his name - and he proceeded to talk about spirituality and transcendence and, if memory serves, LSD. This went on for about 15 minutes until things reached a point when I could politely interject, "Could I talk to Sky some more now?" Saxon, it turned out, had left to go to the store for cigarettes... And I never did get to finish that interview.

I was steamed at Saxon for a long time after that, partly for wasting my time and partly because I'd been looking forward to talking at length to a bonafide legend.

But I never stopped loving his music, and the Seeds were one of the great proto-punk combos, without question. In recent years he revived the Seeds brand and performed with different lineups. He also did some recording last year with Billy Corgan and was in the video of the Smashing Pumpkins' song

Seeds doing "Pushin' Too Hard" on TV in 1966:

Pounding punkarama meets dancefloor madness. And that album cover is gonna be contender for sleeve of the year, too.

By Blurt Staff

Bloody Beetroots (aka Italian producer Bob Rifo) finally gets around to issuing his debut long-player on August 25. Titled Romborama, it arrives via Dim Mak and features guests Steve Aoki, The Cool Kids, Justin Pearson (The Locust, Head Wound City), Ed Banger artist Vicarious Bliss, and many more.

From "Butter" to "Cornelius"  to the Aoki assisted "Warp 1.9" , the Beetroots have put out banger after banger in the past year, dominating clubs and inspiring countless remixes.  These tracks, along with new material, will comprise the album.

The backstory:

Since bursting onto the scene in 2007, The Bloody Beetroots, a.k.a. Italian producer and polymath Bob Rifo, has brought a sense of danger to dance floors across the globe. Rifo injects his grooves with the chaos and larger-than-life persona of late 70's British punk and Oi!   The juxtaposition of seemingly incompatible styles of music doesn't end there;  Rifo studied classical composers for years. But whether Rifo is channeling the spirit of Beethoven, The Misfits, or something in between, The Beetroots' primary objective is to incite a dancefloor riot, and each track is always driven by addictive, pulsating beats.

In conjunction with a signature sound, Rifo has created a distinct visual aesthetic as well.  Taking cues from comic books, Rifo and his onstage partner, DJ Tommy Tea, wear masks while performing to create alter-egos for themselves.   The controlled chaos that defines The Beetroots are embodied by the music videos for "Cornelius" and "'Warp 1.9."  The two clips shine a light into a world where mosh pits and general punk rock revelry collide with dance-all-night club culture. 

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

By Fred Mills

The BLURT staff put our heads (and ears) together and we have the May-June pick for our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Austin combo Wiretree.

Fronted by Kevin Peroni, the quartet includes Joshua Kaplan, Rachel Peroni and Daniel Blanchard. Their debut, a self-titled EP, was released in 2005 under their own independent label, Cobaltworks Music. In January of 2007, Wiretree released their first LP entitled Bouldin. A 2009 LP is due out later this year. They describe their music as being "largely influenced by Britpop and musicians along the likes of George Harrison, Elliott Smith and the La's."

But there's a lot more than those namechecks might suggest - echoes can be heard of everything from vintage ‘60s pop-sike and Velvet Underground-esque choogle to paisley underground-tinted ‘80s stylings and latterday indie rock with a distinctive anthemic edge. There's an urgency afoot in the Wiretree music, and a naked honesty as well.

We'll have an interview with the band posted to the site shortly. Meanwhile, you can check our BLURT radio if you want to hear an MP3 ("Big Coat," from Bouldin) by the band - just click on the music player image on the right hand side of our homepage and scroll down for the song. Also check out the band's MySpace page for more song samples - they indicate a new album is about ready to drop - as well as tour dates and more. And congratulations to Wiretree. They're one of the good ‘uns, trust us.

***

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

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

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

>Our January Best Kept Secret: stephaniesÄ­d, from Asheville

>Our March Best Kept Secret: Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle, from England

Herb Cohen, of Waits, Zappa, Beefheart and more fame, claims he was libeled by British journalist Barney Hoskyns.

By Fred Mills

Word's getting out this afternoon about erstwhile Tom Waits manager Herb Cohen's libel lawsuit against Waits biographer Barney Hoskyns (and Hoskyns' publisher, Random House) regarding allegations made in the recently-published book Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits. Cohen singles out several passages in the book which paint him, variously, as a thief and as engaging in fraudulent practices.

You can read the official press release sent out by the Cohen camp, below. Also, CourthouseNews.com has an extensive account, published earlier this week, delving into what the book states and Cohen's specific responses.

Fascinatingly, this is the latest chapter (pun intended) in an ongoing psychodrama surrounding the Waits bio: as we point out in an in-depth review of the book in the new issue of BLURT (on newsstands any day now), while Hoskyns was researching it the Waits camp reportedly let it be known to their friends and associates that they strongly disapproved of anyone cooperating with Hoskyns' inquiries, which led to some people who'd initially agreed to be interviewed subsequently withdrawing their cooperation. (There's a lengthy appendix in the book in which Hoskyns reproduces emails from folks like Keith Richards and Rickie Lee Jones discussing the matter.) Hoskyns persevered, however, and despite his having to navigate an ongoing minefield of personalities the result was a gripping, informed biography - strong enough to get a 9-star rating from BLURT, in fact.

We can't specifically judge Cohen's claims of libel, although Cohen is certainly not painted in the most flattering colors in the book. Some of material that appears to bother Cohen the most, however, seems to be quotes from people he'd either done business with or crossed paths with, as opposed to blanket accusations made by Hoskyns himself. Plus, it's well-known that there's been no love lost between Cohen and Waits over the years, with Waits actually suing his former manager in 1983. As the L.A. Times put it in their own commentary today, "Have a rock journalist and his publisher gotten caught up in the backwash of a decades-old dispute between Cohen and Waits? Or is this lawsuit destined for dismissal?"

Indeed, it's in the hands of the lawyers and judges now. BLURT contacted Hoskyns for comment, although we knew beforehand what his response would, of necessity, probably be. "Inevitably," replied Hoskyns in an email, "I can't comment on the lawsuit Cohen has filed."

To be honest, let's hope all this does get resolved quickly and without any additional rancor. Because the bottom line is that the book is a fantastic read and any self-respecting Waits fan would do well to check it out.

***

Official press release:

On June 18, 2009, music industry veteran Herb Cohen filed suit for libel against British rock journalist Barney Hoskyns and his publisher, Random House, Inc., with regard to Hoskyns' book Lowside of the Road, A Life of Tom Waits, which was published in the United States in May 2009.

Cohen has worked as a personal manager as well as a record company and music publishing company executive since the mid 1950s. Some of Cohen's music management clients over the years have included Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley, Fred Neil, George Duke, Linda Ronstadt and Tom Waits.  As well, he worked with Lenny Bruce and Maya Angelou.  In addition to producing Pete Seeger's first concert in Los Angeles in 1954, Cohen handled Montreux Jazz Festival tours of Japan and the U.S., and also produced the U.S. portion of the Nelson Mandela concerts in London's Wembley Stadium upon Mandela's release; Cohen brought over top American artists for that historic event including Bonnie Raitt, Anita Baker and many others.  He has been producing concerts in the U.S., Europe, Japan and South America for over forty years.

In the book, Hoskyns states that during the time that Cohen was Waits' manager, from 1971 to 1982, Cohen "robbed" money from Waits, and that Waits sued Cohen and his company, Third Story Music, Inc. for fraudulent accounting practices.  Hoskyns also stated that Cohen "helped himself" to money from his other management clients.  Cohen has alleged that these statements are false and defamatory.

The full suit may be viewed at:  http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/22/TomWaits.pdf

The lawsuit number is  CV09-4400 R (PLAx), filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Cohen is represented by S. Martin Keleti of Cohen and Cohen, who may be reached at (323) 655-4444, or at keleti@manifesto.com.

King of Pop* dies of an apparent heart attack.

By Fred Mills

Judging by the 3,542 internet news articles currently listed under "Michael Jackson" at Google News, the word is sufficiently out that the legendary singer passed away today in Los Angeles from a presumed heart attack. Around 3:30 pm EST media reports had him being rushed to the UCLA Medical Center in LA; apparently he was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home a few minutes earlier.

Although the 50-year old Jackson - a/k/a "The King of Pop"* - had slid into artistic irrelevance over the past decade, and his exhaustively-documented legal travails had further rendered him, depending on who was doing the documenting, a punchline or a pariah, his impact upon the mainstream world, at least, was enormous. Expect the usual tributes to come pouring forth (as they already are).

Just the same, however, the singer's legacy remains mixed - during his MTV heyday, he helped usher in the overblown album and video productions that ultimately destroyed the credibility of the mainstream music industry for good, a different sort of legacy we're still living with - and it's questionable whether or not most indie-rock fans even own a Jackson album, or will mourn his passing. In communicating with a number of people during the past hour or so, I've encountered more shrugs and shaking of heads - compared to the genuine sadness that met the news about the passing of the Stooges' Ron Asheton, the Cramps' Lux Interior, or blues queen Koko Taylor earlier this year.

Whether or not Jackson could have made a comeback, as he'd been planning a string of London concerts, is now a moot point, and it's a sad end to a sorry story. Regardless, despite our reservations, we'd still like to extend our condolences to Jackson's friends, fans and family. Anytime a musical voice is silenced, it's a tragedy.

* "King Of Pop" legacy forever marked with an asterisk, unfortunately.

All those Canadian friends of hers are rootin' for her...

By Blurt Staff

Amy Millan, of Stars fame, is set to release her sophomore full-length, Masters Of The Burial, on September 8 through Arts & Crafts International.  The follow up to her acclaimed 2006 debut, Honey From The Tombs, was recorded earlier this year with renowned producer/sound technician Martin Davis Kinack (Apostle of Hustle/Sarah Harmer/Broken Social Scene) in rural Ontario.  Joined by a group of long-time friends in an intimate setting, the songs on Masters Of The Burial show yet another side to this immensely talented songwriter's abilities. A work of true love and devotion immediately apparent in the warmth of Millan's angelic vocals and the depth of each song as they unfold.

Fans of Millan's in Toronto can catch her live with her band, July 25 for a free show at the Harbourfront Centre, with labelmate Gentleman Reg.  A fall tour is in the works and will be announced shortly.

Masters Of The Burial tracklisting:

1.  Bruised Ghosts
2.  Low Sail
3.  Old Perfume
4.  Towers
5.  Day To Day
6.  Bury This
7.  Finish Line
8.  Run For Me
9.  I Will Follow You Into Dark
10.  Lost Compass
11.  Bound

JetBlue Airwaves mounts 6-month, 12-date concert series, actually. But the headline looks pretty cool, don't you think? Performing today: Nicole Atkins. Coming up: Justin Townes Earle, Juliette Commagere, and others.

By Blurt Staff

Jetblue Airways (in partnership with Superfly Marketing Group) is launching Live from T5, a six-month, 12-date live music concert series at the airline's new Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).   The concert series, which takes place on select Fridays throughout the year, will feature hand-picked emerging artists from around the U.S. as well as bands chosen based on public votes in a national online competition hosted by OurStage.com.

From now until July 22, aspiring artists can upload one original song to www.OurStage.com/go/jetblue  for a chance to win one of five acoustic gigs at the JetBlue terminal in New York. Winners will be announced during the first week of August.  In addition to a show during Live at T5, the top artist as determined by JetBlue and Superfly will also perform as the opening act for a headlining artist at Bowery Presents' Terminal 5 in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, or another Bowery Presents show.  

"JetBlue not only provides the most free live entertainment in the skies -- we also seek to provide unique entertainment experiences for our customers on the ground in our brand new, state-of-the-art terminal," said Kim Ruvolo, manager brand for JetBlue Airways.  "Partnering with an innovative music and lifestyle marketing company like Superfly adds more value for our customers, gives them access to some of the most promising artists in the industry and engages them through the online OurStage.com competition to create a music event for customers, by customers."

"We are thrilled to partner with JetBlue - a brand committed to providing unique customer experiences. With the 'Live from T5' program, we've helped JetBlue elevate itself to a curator of those experiences," said Chad Issaq, vice president of business development for Superfly Marketing Group.

JetBlue's Live from T5 unofficially launched on Friday, May 22 with Austin's own Dan Dyer performing on the south grandstand in T5's marketplace.   The remaining dates and artists scheduled for Live at T5 include:

 

June 26              Nicole Atkins
July 3                 American Princes
July 10               Alberta Cross
July 24               Justin Townes Earle
July 31               Juliette Commagere
August 14          Two contest winners
August 21          Two contest winners
August 28         Two contest winners
September 4     Superfly artist
October 30        Superfly artist
November 25    Superfly artist

    

To highlight the many talented artists at JetBlue, the airline has also established an exclusive presence on OurStage.com for its crewmembers to upload their music to be entered into the competition (a).  Fans will vote on the music similar to the national competition and at least one JetBlue crewmember will also be chosen to perform at JFK's Terminal 5.

New live CD includes a slew of Santana classics.

By Blurt Staff

As we lead-up to the 40^th anniversary of Woodstock, word arrives that one of the stars of Woodstock, former Santana keyboardist Gregg Rolie, is issuing a limited edition CD of his band in concert in 2007. On the 12-track CD, the Gregg Rolie Band whip up a blistering performance featuring all your fave Santana hits, as well as tracks from his 2001 critically acclaimed solo CD 'Roots' and a few new songs. Songs include "No One To Depend On", "Jingo", "Evil Ways". "Black Magic Woman", "Soul Sacrifice" and others.

Attendees at this year's SXSW in Austin who caught the special Woodstock 40^th panel got to hear Rolie hold forth on his experiences with Santana at the storied event. Held at the Austin Convention Center on March 23rd, along with Santana alumni Michael Shr ieve, Gregg resided on a discussion panel of performers, filmmakers and key technicians.

The final track on the CD, "Bailamos El Son", was taken from Gregg Rolie's performance on the PBS special Trini Lopez Presents The Legends of Latin Music. Filmed at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles last October, the program will be aired in June 2009.

Also, the Gregg Rolie band recently performed at the Hard Rock Cafe New York for the premier of the new 'Woodstock' DVD / Blue-ray release. Audience members were treated to a guest appearance by drummer Michael Shrieve during the set.

"The first time I played with Gregg everything just clicked. In a humble way, it was very much like McCartney and Lennon. You know when there's chemistry there. Drummers came and went; congeros came and went, but his feeling and my feeling... sometimes it was hard to tell who was the needle and who was the thread." - Carlos Santana

The Gregg Rolie Band consists of founding Santana member Michael Carabello on Congas, Adrian Areas (son of original Santana percussionist Jose Chepito Areas) on Timbales, drummer Ron Wikso,  Kurt Griffey on guitars, bassist, Chapman Stick artist and Santana alumni Alphonso Johnson, and former Jean Luc Ponty keyboardist Wally Minko.

"If you are having a good time at anything you do, you are going to do a good job at what you do," Rolie said in a statement. "That's really where the key to this band is. We really just enjoy each other a tremendous amount and have a lot of fun with this. We will get up to playing about 50 dates a year, and really that's about all I want to do."

For more information: www.GreggRolie.com  

Playing a depressed lyricist... sounds like all the songwriters we know!

By Blurt Staff

Bishop Allen's Justin Rice spends his spare time as an actor, appearing in acclaimed indie films such as Mutual Appreciation and Alexander the Last. Currently, Harmony and Me (written and directed by Bob Byington) starring Rice, as Harmony, a depressed lyricist clinging to the memory of an ex-girlfriend, is gaining notoriety at film festivals worldwide, screening at the likes of the Los Angeles Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Cine-Vegas Film Festival.

Harmony and Me also includes a supporting cast including Kevin Corrigan (Pineapple Express, Superbad, The Departed), and Pat Healy (Rescue Dawn, Ghost World, Great World of Sound) as well as bandmate, Keith Poulson, who is currently manning the bass in Bishop Allen.

Bob Byington, who directed Harmony and Me shot an off-the-cuff music video for Bishop Allen for the song "Shanghaied" from their March release, Grrr...:

Check out the new video for Bishop Allen's "Shanghaied" HERE

Check out the trailer for Harmony and Me HERE

Meanwhile, if you happen to be in Europe next month, the band will be too!

07/16/09 Guimaraes, Portugal - Manta Festival    
07/18/09 Dornstadt, Germany - Obstwiesenfestival    
07/19/09 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Volkhofaffaire    
07/20/09 Barcelona, Spain - Be Cool    
07/21/09 Vic, Spain - Jazz Cava
07/22/09 Sevilla, Spain - Nocturama    
07/23/09 Son Servera, Spain - S'Esglesia Nova
07/24/09 Sonneger See, Austria - Acoustic Lakeside    

Beloved singer-songwriter dies on Wednesday from cancer.

By Rev. Keith A Gordon

Tim Krekel - singer, songwriter, and underrated guitarist - passed away on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 from cancer in his Louisville, Kentucky home. Krekel had been diagnosed with an abdominal tumor in March and subsequently underwent surgery, returning home in early-April. He was expected to make a full recovery, but his health took a turn for the worse over the past week.

Born and raised in Louisville in 1950, Krekel first began playing the drums before picking up the guitar. By high school, he was writing songs and performing in local bands, and during the late-60s he was leading the popular Louisville band Dusty. When two of Krekel's friends, Steve Ferguson and Terry Adams, left town to form N.R.B.Q. and scored a record contract, Krekel moved Dusty to New York City in search of fame and fortune. After gigging around the big city for a while, Krekel and Dusty returned to Louisville.

When Krekel performed with Dusty in Nashville, he landed a gig touring as the guitarist in country musician Billy Swan's band. Later Krekel came to the attention of Jimmy Buffett's manager and was hired on as Buffett's guitarist. Krekel toured and recorded with Buffett for a couple of years in the late-70s, appearing on his Son Of A Son Of A Sailor album, and performing with the singer on Saturday Night Live. His work with Buffett, in turn, led to Krekel receiving his own record deal.

Krekel's solo debut, Crazy Me, was released in 1979 by Capricorn Records, unfortunately just a few months before the label closed its doors. Krekel would remain in Nashville, forming the popular Music City band the Sluggers with a couple veterans of Marshall Chapman's band - hard-playing Texans Willis Bailey and Tom Comet. The trio released a single album, Over The Fence, for Arista Records in 1986. A few years later, Krekel and the Sluggers would back up singer/songwriter Mark Germino on his 1990 album Radartown.

The following year, Krekel's second solo album, Out Of The Corner, was released by the Italian label Appaloosa Records. Like his previous albums, it was widely acclaimed but sold few copies. Disenchanted with the music business, Krekel moved back to Louisville in 1993, but with rock 'n' roll in his blood, he couldn't stay away from the music, forming the Groovebillys. During the '90s, Tim Krekel and the Groovebillys would tour frequently throughout the Southeast, and the band released two albums, including Underground in 1999.

Krekel released a third solo album, Happy Town, in 2002 and a fourth, World Keeps Turnin', in 2005. He would release his final effort, Soul Season, with the Tim Krekel Orchestra, in 2007. In between these activities, Krekel toured again with Jimmy Buffett, and through the years he performed alongside folks like Delbert McClinton, Lonnie Mack, Steve Forbert, Marshall Chapman, Bo Diddley, and many others.

Although he is best remembered for his skills with a guitar, Krekel also enjoyed moderate success as a songwriter. Country star Crystal Gayle had a number one hit in 1984 with Krekel's "Turning Away," and Patty Loveless hit number one in 1997 with "You Can Feel Bad," co-written by Krekel and Matraca Berg. Artists as diverse as Canned Heat, Rick Nelson, Dr. Feelgood, Kim Ritchey, Martina McBride, and Jason & the Scorchers have recorded Tim Krekel songs.

I personally had the good fortune to have met Tim Krekel in Nashville during the mid-80s, when he was part of a group of like-minded artists that included Jason & the Scorchers, Robert Jetton & the Rockin' Rancheros, and Webb Wilder. Tim was a nice guy, and although he never caught a break from the music business, he never gave up making music. A roots-rock pioneer without realizing what ground-breaking music he was creating, Krekel was an important influence on a generation of alt-country artists.

A Louisville music institution for over 30 years, Krekel's voice and skilled guitarwork will certainly be missed by fans in his hometown as well as throughout the Southeast.

A small private funeral service will be held Sunday, June 28th, 2:30 pm at
James Lee Presbyterian Church, 1741 Frankfort Avenue in Louisville. 

Everybody is invited to take part in a public jazz funeral procession starting at the church at 3:30 pm and walking to the memorial service being held at The Vernon Club, 1575 Story Avenue in Louisville. The family wishes that in lieu of flowers a donation be made to The KREK fund, c/o ear X-tacy Records, 1534 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40205

Tim Krekel: "Bailout Blues"

[BLURT contributor Gordon's excellent, erudite blues blog can be read at http://blues.about.com ]

They may say they got nuffin' but we bet it's really somefin'...

By Blurt Staff

Amid all the celebrity death spam we've been flooded with today, at least a few beacons of brightness are peeking through. Among them, word of the new SPOON record!

On Tuesday, June 30th, SPOON will debut its first newly recorded material since 2007's universally acclaimed Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: Merge Records will release the three-song "Got Nuffin" single on CD and digital download beginning June 30, with  12" vinyl version following in July, exact date TBD.

"Got Nuffin" was recorded by Nicolas Vernhes at Rare Book Room. B-sides "Tweakers" and "Stroke Their Brains" were recorded by SPOON.

As previously announced SPOON will return to its birthplace to commandeer Austin's Stubbs Amphitheater July 9, 10 and 11 for SPOONX3, which will feature the live debut of new material from the band's forthcoming album as well as different special guests nightly, all handpicked by SPOON.

The lineup for the shows at Stubbs is as follows:

July 9 - SPOON, Quasi, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
July 10 - SPOON, Low, Dale Watson
July 11 - SPOON, Atlas Sound, the Strange Boys

For further information, check www.Spoontheband.com

Storied N.C. record store celebrates its 5^th with 3-day, 3-venue blowout in August. On the bill: Akron/Family, Bonnie Prince Billy, Budos Band, Books, Mount Eerie, Coathangers and more.

By Fred Mills

So, is everyone recovered from Record Store Day yet? Everyone making their plans to hit Chapel Hill next month for Merge Records' 20^th anniversary celebration? Gotcha - so now, make sure you mark your calendars for August 13, 14 and 15. That's when Asheville, NC, indie record shop/label/concert promoter Harvest Records will be celebrating their fifth year of existence with a three-day, three-venue festival they're calling "Transfigurations."

Among the artists already signed up to perform: Akron/Family, Bonnie Prince Billy, The Books, Budos Band, Circulatory System, Mount Eerie, Espers, War on Drugs, Brightblack Morning Light, Kurt Vile, Ice Cream, Jonathan Kane, Coathangers, Villages, and Steve Gunn. And in addition to live music, we are advised by the organizers, the even "will present a panel discussion and films from three record label heads who, through their own unique methods, are at the forefront of documenting musics, new and old, from the United States & around the world."

"The gathering," says Harvest co-owner Mark Capon, "is a culmination of our [his and the other owner, Matt Schnable] sharing a mutual love for creating a space dedicated to the discovery of music in a supportive community. Transfigurations brings together the spirits of the musicians that we have brought to this city, the artists who have displayed on our walls, the sounds people have found in our shop and the togetherness that we have attempted to breathe into the community...hour by hour, day by day."

In their five years as Asheville's premiere indie shop - and by any measure, one of the country's finest (trust me, I've seen plenty in my day, and worked in a few as well) - Harvest has always found a way to champion the independent and underground music community. "You may have been in a small, independent record store, but we feel Harvest Records is unique and we want everyone who walks through the door to have a satisfying exchange and an inclusive experience," says Schnable. "That fresh perspective has kept us going every day, and that same attitude of sharing a love of music and creativity is what we are bringing to Transfigurations."

Harvest has further supported the music community by promoting concerts, some at local clubs, some at art galleries and in their own tiny-but-torrid retail space, all with an eye (and ear) for cutting-edge sounds. And that's what you'll get during that weekend in August. Tickets are on sale now: regular weekend passes ("Regafigurations") are limited, and special weekend  passes ("Megafigurations" ) are extremely limited.

We can't wait - you can bet your ass that the southern bureau of BLURT will be on hand. Watch this space for further details later on, or for more information: http://www.harvest-records.com/transfigurations.php (email: transfigurationsasheville@gmail.com).

[Pictured below: Akron/Family, Bonnie Prince Billy, Books, Budos Band]

The Germs' Darby Crash became a musical  footnote for dying on the same day John Lennon was shot. Will these musicians suffer a similar fate for expiring on or in close proximity to Michael Jackson's death?

By Fred Mills

With the predictable wall-to-wall media coverage of the Michael Jackson death still in full swing, and with a number of usually reliable, otherwise rational music news portals (hello, Pitchfork!) going hilariously ga-ga with their treatments (it would appear that tokenism is still alive and well), we at BLURT would like to pause for a moment, take a deep breath, and remind you that some other artists passed away over the last week or so, too. None of them even came close to the level of celebrity that Michael Jackson, for better or worse, enjoyed; but then, Jackson lived and died in a sorry reality show of his own making, so that's probably a good thing for these people, gifted musicians all, and as beloved, in their own frame of musical reference, as any you'd care to mention. (Plus, unlike Jackson, none of them are the music biz equivalents of steroid-scandal baseball player with asterisks firmly affixed to their permanent records.)

Sky Saxon: The Seeds frontman and one of the original archy-tects of the Nuggets garage-rock milieu had the misfortune to die on the same day as Jackson. At presstime, the presumption was that it was due to heart failure - just like Jackson. Here's hoping that Sky won't get the Darby Crash/John Lennon treatment and receive a proper memorial. I can readily imagine Little Steven working up something for his "Underground Garage" program in the days after Sky's death. All you rock club deejays out there could do worse than to follow suit.

Tim Krekel: A Kentucky native and inordinately gifted guitarist (he worked with Billy Swan, Jimmy Buffett and others) and songwriter (his tunes were covered by everyone from Patty Loveless and Crystal Gayle to Canned Heat and Jason & the Scorchers), Krekel passed away at the relatively young age of 58 on Wednesday, June 24, after a bout with cancer. Fans still have fond memories of seeing Krekel tear it up with his bands the Sluggers and the Groovebillys.

Bob Bogle: I'd love for a Ventures buff to square off against a Jackson aficionado in a debate over whether the surf band or the soul star ultimately wielded the greater musical influence. Guitarist Bogle was inducted along with his bandmates to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and as a group the Ventures had scores of top-charting records, selling millions along the way - with nary a sex scandal or perp walk across the pages of a grocery store tabloid among them. Bogle died June 14 at the age of 75 from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Nick Holt: The brother of Morris "Magic Slim" Holt and the bassist for the legendary Magic Slim & the Teardrops for decades, Holt passed on June 22 (brain cancer). The Chicago bluesman also made his mark as a session player, appearing on records by Little Milton, Sunnyland Slim, Vance Kelly and others. It's a truism worth remembering that sometimes the players not necessarily appearing in the spotlight are the ones who keep the whole deal moving along.

Charlie Mariano: The famed alto sax whiz and Charlie Parker disciple died June 16 from cancer. As with Holt, Mariano was "just" a sideman at points in his career, but his work with such legends as Shelly Manne, Stan Kenton, Charles Mingus, Toshiko Akiyoshi (to whom he was once married) and others helped earn him the title "the dean of Boston jazz musicians." Mariano also fronted his own band and in the ‘50s founded the Jazz Workshop.

Turn down the CNN volume for a moment or two, won't you, and give thanks for these and all the other musicians who've made our world just a little bit brighter. They didn't need glittery white gloves or big-budget videos to make their mark - just their native talent.

Despite promise of refunds, don't count on recouping.

By Fred Mills

That dripping sound you hear? It's the sound of sweat, descending from the chin of concert promoter AEG Live, contemplating a potential loss of $40 million if the stars don't align in the wake of Michael Jackson's unexpected death.

$40 mil is an estimate, as reported the other day at Billboard.biz, of the combined cost of what AEG paid out to Jackson in his advance ($10 million) plus production costs incurred thus far on what would have been a 50-show run by Jackson at London's O2 Arena. The ultimate tally will hinge on how much nonappearance insurance will get coughed up, and while at this point the cause of Jackson's death is being attributed to cardiac arrest, the Billboard report points out, citing an unnamed entertainment insurance industry insider, "if Jackson died from a drug overdose or a pre-existing condition, the producer could be on the hook for any loss - which would include any money already sunk into the production, as well as the considerable cost of refunding consumers for the 750,000 tickets already purchased. If Jackson signed a contract saying he would return his advance in the event he didn't perform, the company could end up in court with a long line of other Jackson creditors."

Ah. Those consumers who bought tickets. Let's shed a few quick crocodile tears for AEG, then turn our attention to Joe Q. Jacko Fan, who along with his other 749,00 compatriots, sunk somewhere in the range of $90 million for tix - estimates by Billboard indicate that "premium and VIP packages and secondary market sales would have boosted the gross to more than $100 million."

Read the Billboard report first, then surf over to one published this morning by Britain's Telegraph. Over the weekend a spokesman for AEG confirmed that as they are legally bound to give refunds, "full ticket refund information and procedures will be released early next week for all Michael Jackson This Is It shows." eBay made a similar statement. All ticketholders are being advised to hold on to their ticket vouchers or proof of purchase slips (sensible in any situation) as they will be required to submit documentation of their purchase in order to get a refund.

Secondary ticket sellers, however, were a bit less forthcoming - to the point of being deliberately vague - regarding their plans for refunds. Over the years, reports on people attempting to get refunds following a secondary market purchase haven't been too encouraging, to say the least. While the term "ticket reseller" has for some reason taken on a veneer of respectability of late, let's call those resellers what they are - scalpers, and the general policy of scalpers is to take the money and run.

One expert subsequently warned fans that if they encounter any problems obtaining refunds they most likely would have to contact their credit card companies. As anyone who's ever had to file a disputed credit card charge claim knows, the procedure can be a royal pain in the ass, one that can drag on for months, and in some instances the red tape still winds up leaving you holding the bag. Caveat emptor.

Meanwhile, as all this is going on, nobody has raised the issue of ticketing fees and service charges. Cast your memory back to this past February when the Langerado Festival, set for March 6-8, was cancelled due to sluggish ticket sales. Refunds were offered - "minus the included order processing fees," as a notation in the official cancellation notice on the Langerado website indicated. Depending on the event and the promoter, those fees - which you rarely find out the total until the final step of the check-out process when ordering tickets - can sometimes add up to as much as 10% of the face value.

My prediction: AEG will pull a similar stunt, issuing refunds for the full face value but not for any fees that accrued with the original transaction. (No doubt they can do it legally as well, with the info having appeared somewhere in the fine print of that transaction.) Let's say the fees were as low as ten dollars: do the math - 750,000 tickets times $10 equals $7,500,000. Well, it's not quite $40 mil, but it'll still help AEG just a tad. And you, gentle consumer, get screwed by the big guys once again.

Well, that's my prediction at least. My advice? Sell your unused tickets on eBay, of course! As everyone knows, pristine tickets from Elvis Presley concerts that got cancelled in the wake of his death are considered big collector's items. Industry watchers are already predicting a similar scenario for Jackson, and that a lot of fans will also hang on to their tix for sentimental reasons. It will all hinge on how many physical tickets were actually issued, of course; reportedly, the actual artifacts hadn't yet been mailed for many of those 50 shows. So who knows exactly how many tickets are out there right now in the hands of punters, and ultimately how many will wind up in the "collector's item" category?

This hasn't stopped an enterprising soul for listing on eBay what has to be one of the most esoteric Jackson collectibles ever: an official Ticketmaster email confirming cancellation of a Jackson London show. A Montreal-based seller has it listed as Buy It Now for a whopping $1.00 ("more than 10 available," har har har) with the listing reading thusly:

"Up for grabs: email sent by Ticketmaster confirming the cancellation of the Michael Jackson show at the O2 in London. This is a collector's item. It explains show was cancelled with a sympathy message and what to do to get full refund for tickets. This item will be emailed to you as soon as payment is received."

Hey, don't you just love the free enterprise system? Oh, and by the way: how many of you out there have already booked air fare to London? Checked the cost of cancelling or changing an international flight any time lately, hmmm?

 UPDATE (6/30):

CNN is reporting this morning that AEG will be offering fans the choice between a refund or a "souvenir commemorative ticket" featuring one of eight holographic designs. With original prices starting at $105... wow, we're not even gonna go there. That ticking sound you hear? It's the sound of AEG's accountants feverishly tapping away on their calculators, hoping that the "chump factor" will kick in heavily among the Jackson fan base. If that happens, you can also kiss  goodbye any heavy eBay profits you might have been calculatiing in your own mind.

Sign to Birdman records to release Topspin special edition 50 page book; new LP coming soon.

By Blurt Staff

The Aliens, featuring former membes of the Beta Band, are creating a special limited-edition 50+page hard cover book, all color, and high rising book which will also house the record. The book will include drawings, poems, film stills, photographs, interviews...all done in the standard Alien manor. This special edition item will be sold through the Birdman website using Topspin's Direct-to-fan marketing and distribution platform. Topspin technology helped power recent indie releases from David Byrne/Brian Eno, Metric, and re-issues from the Beastie Boys. The book will be available for pre-order in September.

The backstory:

 
Formed in 2005 these Aliens have history - between them they have been behind some of the most enthralling British music of the last decade. John Maclean and Robin Jones where members of the Beta Band. Gordon Anderson was a founding Beta Band member who went on to record two albums under the Lone Pigeon moniker.

 
In March 07 they released their first album "Astronomy For Dogs" to a hearty round of applause from the critics scoring 4 & 5 stars across the board - comparisons were along the lines of  imagine The Velvet Underground gone Punk. Woven from the threads of Anderson's genuine heartfelt songs, the Aliens sstart with Anderson. He brings his acoustic-guitar-and-vocals demos to Maclean and Jones, and together the three of them crank up their computers and record collections and work out what breaks, beats, samples, noises and ideas will work best to (techni) colour-in those song sketches.
 

After their release 2007 was a busy year with UK & US tours & festivals. It ended with a cultural exchange trip to the Congo with Africa Express and Damon Albarn, playing with some of the most celebrated musicians in Africa and the West. The trip left the band creatively refreshed, musically rejuvenated and with a renewed faith in the fact that music is a celebration. With this new renewed energy they started recording their new album in an isolated, ramshackle studio in a small Scottish village, self produced the band embraced their freedom from the major record label machine enabling them to explore each track with the focus and wilful experimentation upon which they thrive. Luna is the sound of The Aliens fully realizing their extra-terrestrial musical vision. In September 08 they made a welcome return with the release of Luna on their own label Petrock Records. They managed to deliver an album that manages to outshine their widely acclaimed debut. It's a mesmeric, psych tinged, honeycomb folk-pop masterpiece allowed to run free & has been drawing comparisons to Fink Floyd's ‘Dark Side of The Moon'. Meanwhile, the Aliens are always a thrilling proposition live, expect the unexpected.... it's an unmissable, fist-in-mouth experience that showcases the band's infectious energy and their frontman's magnetism.

Floggin' that massive box set, too...

By Blurt Staff

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of their 1989 album Doolittle, the Pixies - Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering - will embark on what they're calling the Doolittle Tour this fall in the UK and Europe. It will kick off with two nights at the Olympia in Dublin, Ireland on October 1 and 2.  Tickets for all dates (listed below) go on sale this Friday, July 3 at 9AM; consult the usual overseas ticketing companies (Ticketmaster, Gigs and Tours, etc.) for ordering details.

For the Doolittle Tour, the Pixies will perform all of the songs from Doolittle and its related B-sides, including classics such as "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," and "Gouge Away."

"We wanted to do something special for Doolittle's 20th anniversary," said Black Francis, in a statement,  "and we thought his was a good opportunity to play all of the songs from that album, something we don't normally do at a regular gig."

The ultimate Pixies Collector's Set, Minotaur, will be ready to ship to purchasers in early October and presales are being taken at www.ainr.com

A couple of weeks ago the band played a secret gig at London's Village Underground in front of 300 fans. Go HERE for details of the show, including the full setlist.

Tour Dates (all October):

 1 Olympia,  Dublin, Ireland

 2 Olympia,  Dublin, Ireland

 4 SECC - Hall 4, Glasgow, Scotland

 6 Brixton Academy, London, England

 7 Brixton Academy, London, England

 8 Brixton Academy, London, England

 9 Brixton Academy, London, England

11 Jahrhunderhalle, Frankfurt, Germany

13 Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, Holland   

14 Forest National, Brussels, Belgium

15 Zenith, Paris, France

New album, tour set for September.

By Blurt Staff

Living Colour will release their first new studio album in five years entitled The Chair In The Doorway on September 15 via Megaforce Records. The NYC rock band originally exploded out of CBGB's in the late '80s, landing all over MTV, graced the cover of Rolling Stone and played stadium stages around the world with their Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum debut album Vivid.

Original members Vernon Reid, Corey Glover, Will Calhoun and (since 1993) Doug Wimbish gathered at Sono Studios outside of Prague in The Czech Republic during the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009 to write and record what would become The Chair In The Doorway. The results stretch from the modern soul anthem "Behind The Sun" to the politically-charged, heavy rock of "DecaDance" to the sacred steel blues of "Bless Those." The artwork for The Chair In The Doorway was compiled from thousands of contest entries by fans from around the world.

"We feel like this is the best record we've made yet and we couldn't be more excited to be releasing it with the legendary Megaforce Records," said guitarist Vernon Reid, in a press release.  "Some of our favorite bands were or are Megaforce artists, Metallica, Bad Brains, Anthrax, Black Crowes, so it's an honor to be part of a label with a great legacy."

Living Colour will announce plans for a world tour shortly. With dates set to begin in September, it will include their first North American tour in four years along with performances in South America, Europe, Australia and Asia.

Having helped to pave the way for a number of contemporary African-American artists to follow in their wake, ranging from Rage Against The Machine to Lenny Kravitz to Ben Harper, with a multi-dimensional sound that drew equally from Jimi Hendrix, Bad Brains, Talking Heads and Ornette Coleman, the success of Living Colour broke down the color barriers in rock music. Guitarist and founding member Vernon Reid also founded the Black Rock Coalition to use his influence to further this cause.

Discovered by Mick Jagger who produced their first demo and later offered them an opening slot with The Rolling Stones, Living Colour would go on to create a repertoire that includes a multitude of classic songs, including "Cult Of Personality," "Elvis Is Dead," "Open Letter To A Landlord," "Glamour Boys" and "Love Rears Its Ugly Head."

Track listing:

1. Burned Bridges
2. The Chair         
3. DecaDance   
4. Young Man    
5.  Method             
6.  Behind The Sun
7.  Bless Those
8.  Hard Times  
9.  Taught Me
10. Out Of Mind     
11. Not Tomorrow

We just couldn't help ourselves...

By Blurt Staff

Around the time you're reading this the Fall 2009 issue of BLURT is hitting newsstands and mailboxes. As a special treat, and a strategic move designed to utterly confuse harried newsstand and bookstore clerks arranging magazines on their shelves, we decided to present the magazine with alternate covers. On the main front cover, Sonic Youth; on the rear, Regina Spektor. (Readers are encouraged to write in and let us know which they like best.)

As outlined in our free bi-weekly email newsletter (going out today, in fact - sign up for it elsewhere on our homepage), this second print edition of Blurt - counting our digital-only issues, the 7^th overall - features, in addition to Sonic Youth and Spektor, Iggy Pop, Prefuse 73, Patterson Hood (of the Drive-By Truckers), Mandy Moore, Wye Oak, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, Rodriguez, King Khan & the Shrines, country cult artist Larry Jon Wilson, the return of punk legends Flipper, porn queen Sasha Grey - and why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has finally become completely irrelevant. There's also a special fashion section with profiles and retro-themed photos of a slew of musical femme fatales, among them Spektor, Maria Taylor, Rye Rye and Metric's Emily Haines.

Obviously we're proud of the magazine, but we sincerely hope that it offers a wealth of musical comfort food for everyone - maybe even some quality summertime on-the-beach reading, to boot. We also offer subscriptions to Blurt so you don't miss an issue.

We just couldn't help ourselves...

By Blurt Staff

Around the time you're reading this the Fall 2009 issue of BLURT is hitting newsstands and mailboxes. As a special treat, and a strategic move designed to utterly confuse harried newsstand and bookstore clerks arranging magazines on their shelves, we decided to present the magazine with alternate covers. On the main front cover, Sonic Youth; on the rear, Regina Spektor. (Readers are encouraged to write in and let us know which they like best.)

As outlined in our free bi-weekly email newsletter (going out today, in fact - sign up for it elsewhere on our homepage), this second print edition of Blurt - counting our digital-only issues, the 7^th overall - features, in addition to Sonic Youth and Spektor, Iggy Pop, Prefuse 73, Patterson Hood (of the Drive-By Truckers), Mandy Moore, Wye Oak, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, Rodriguez, King Khan & the Shrines, country cult artist Larry Jon Wilson, the return of punk legends Flipper, porn queen Sasha Grey - and why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has finally become completely irrelevant. There's also a special fashion section with profiles and retro-themed photos of a slew of musical femme fatales, among them Spektor, Maria Taylor, Rye Rye and Metric's Emily Haines.

Obviously we're proud of the magazine, but we sincerely hope that it offers a wealth of musical comfort food for everyone - maybe even some quality summertime on-the-beach reading, to boot. We also offer subscriptions to Blurt so you don't miss an issue.

Lineup includes NOFX, Bad Religion, Guttermouth, Gallows, Thrice, 30!h3 and punk-rockin' transvestite Jeffree Star.

By Blurt Staff

Summer's here, which means the annual Warped Tour must be headed to a city near you. It kicked off the other night, June 26, in Pomona, Calif., and BLURT's own Scott Dudelson was there.

Writes Dudelson, "Despite scorching 95-degree weather, 15,000+ young punks (average age was well under 18), converged on the fairgrounds to watch 70+ bands perform across the 8 different stages.  While each date on the tour features a different line-up, this kick off show featured a powerful mix of old-school punks with credibility, and some interesting acts that were left of the punk mainstream."

Among those Dudelson caught from the pit: NOFX, Bad Religion, Guttermouth, Gallows, Thrice, 30!h3 and punk-rockin' transvestite Jeffree Star. (Of the latter, Dudelson advises, "If you decide to see Star when the tour hits your city, be advised that his/her set is not for the faint of heart or supporters of the far right.")

You can read his full account, and check out exclusive up-close-and-personal photos, in our concert reviews section.

New album arrives next week, followed by extensive touring.

By Blurt Staff

Veteran Maryland noisemakers Clutch are about to drop 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.

Strange Cousins  will now be available both physically and digitally through retail on July 14th, and fans who purchase the new album via iTunes will receive a free bonus track, an exclusive 10-minute Clutch "up close & personal" video documentary, produced by Agent Ogden.

The band is prepping a US Summer tour with Baroness, kicking off w/ a special July 3rd appearance at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ w/ Shadows Fall, and have also just announced a Fall US tour w/ Wino and Revolution Mother, bringing the band to New York City's Irving Plaza for two-nights of back to back shows, and their first dates in the city in support of the band's new album.

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:

US w/ Baroness and Lionize:

July 3rd Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues w/ Shadows Fall and Wino (* no Baroness or Lionize)
July 9 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
July 10 Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
July 11 Chicago, IL @ Kuma's
July 12 Sauget, IL @ Pop's
July 14 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
July 15 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
July 17 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
July 18 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater
July 19 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues Las Vegas
July 20 San Diego, CA @ Cane's Bar & Grill
July 21 Los Angeles, CA @ House Of Blues
July 22 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Center
July 23 Seattle, WA @ King Cat Theater
July 25 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
July 26 Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theater
July 27 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
July 28 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
July 29 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
July 31 Calgary, AB @ Flames Center
August 1 Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Center
August 2 Saskatoon, SK @ Odeon Event Center
August 3 Winnipeg, MB @ Garrick Center
August 5 Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
August 6 Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
August 7 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
August 8 Baltimore, MD @ Sonar

US Tour w/ Wino and Revolution Mother:

September 9 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls
September 10 Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom
September 11 Philadelphia, PA @ The Electric Factory
September 12 Hartford, CT @ The Webster Theater
September 13 Montreal, QC @ Lee Saints
September 15 London, ON @ London Music Hall
September 16 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
September 18 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
September 19 Jackson, MS @ Club Fire
September 20 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
September 22 Mobile, AL @ Soul Kitchen
September 23 Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
September 24 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
September 25 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Orbit Room
September 26 Chicago, IL @ The Metro
September 27 Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
September 29 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
September 30 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
October 1 Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont Club
October 2 Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
October 3 Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
October 4 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival
October 6 Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
October 7 Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
October 8 Richmond, VA @ The National
October 9 New York City, NY @ Irving Plaza
October 10 New York City, NY @ Irving Plaza

Respected R&B publication's closure is effective immediately.

By Fred Mills

The latest casualty of what historians will one day refer to as The Great Print Magazine Purge of the Early 21^st Century is hip-hop/urban publication Vibe. Founded in 1992 by Quincy Jones and Time Warner, it was sold to private equity firm The Wicks Group in 2006 but had suffered steady declines in circulation and ad revenue.

According to the New York Times' Media Decoder, Vibe CEO Steve Aaron earlier today circulated a memo to the staff announcing the magazine's shuttering, effective immediately, indicating that efforts to restructure "the huge debut on our small company" and to find new investors had failed. Wrote Aaron, "The print advertising collapse hit Vibe hard, especially as key ad categories like automotive and fashion, which represented the bulk of our top 10 advertisers, have stopped advertising or gone out of business."

Daily Finance, in its report, noted that when reached for comment, the company's chief financial officer, Angela Zucconi, said that an official statement would be made available to the public "by the end of the day. That's all I can say at this point."

Meanwhile, RapRadar.com obtained a copy of the Aaron memo and posted it to its site. In addition to problems with advertising, Aaron blamed the magazine's demise on the recession and on "the collapse of the capital markets" which made raising money in the current economic climate nearly impossible. (In recent months, Vibe attempted a number of cost-cutting measures, including reducing circulation and frequency, cutting salaries and utilizing a four-day work week.) He also noted Vibe's numerous achievements over the years and predicted that it would be remembered as "a shockingly brilliant content company that everyone can be proud of."

 You can read the memo in its entirety, below.

As several observers have already pointed out, this leaves The Source - long a lightning rod for controversy and recently going through a bankruptcy - as the last magazine standing in terms of large-circ hip-hop/R&B publications.

***

Dear VIBE team:

It is with a heavy heart that I share some tough news, VMG is closing down effective today, June 30th.

It's been an 16 incredible years since VIBE's inception. There are very few magazines with the richness of history and breadth of talented visionaries who created the powerful lens in which VIBE viewed and shaped urban music and culture.

Ever since I first set foot in this courageous company, I've regarded myself as incredibly fortunate to be be involved with this remarkable brand and group of individuals whose performance has never been nothing short of outstanding. We finished 2008 in an improved position versus the prior year, and accomplished so much, including:

    * Editorial Awards
    * Editorial transformation into content dept
    * New Ad accounts being broken
    * The Most Mag Launch
    * Award winning re-design
    * Profitable digital operation
    * VIBE.com growth and improvements and programs such as  Best Rapper Ever,  #1