Pavement, Massive Attack, My Morning Jacket, Ween, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Kid Cudi, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Band of Horses and many others. Tickets go on sale this weekend.

By Blurt Staff

The 2010 Sasquatch! Music Festival will proudly feature the recently reunited Pavement, Massive Attack, My Morning Jacket, Ween, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Kid Cudi, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Band of Horses and many others. With The Office's Craig Robinson and The Daily Show's Rob Riggle, this year's Sasquatch! Festival also presents the best in up-and-coming comedic acts. Please see below for the complete festival lineup and ticket information.

Sasquatch! returns to The Gorge in Quincy, WA May 29-31 (Memorial Day Weekend) following early sellouts and rave reviews the past several years. Festival tickets are available at sasquatchfestival.com and Ticketmaster. Known for its bucolic location as well as its programming zeitgeist, the Sasquatch! Festival marks its ninth year at The Gorge, a concert venue built in the Columbia River Gorge and offering spectacular views of the river canyon. Tickets go on sale Saturday February 20 at 10 a.m. PST.

Festival creator Adam Zacks founded Sasquatch! in 2002 with the aim of constructing an event that catered to the eclectic tastes of voracious music enthusiasts. Zacks personally curates the lineups for each Sasquatch! Festival, hand-picking the diverse array of artists. "It's our goal each year to present a fresh lineup that reflects the independent spirit of the Pacific Northwest, respects the artists and audience, and celebrates the grandeur of The Gorge."

The Sasquatch! Festival has established a tradition of presenting critically acclaimed emerging artists alongside established headliners. Previous lineups have spanned a broad spectrum of genres from rock to hip-hop, electronic to singer-songwriters; past performers include R.E.M. Coldplay, Kanye West, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, The Cure, Björk, and M.I.A. The festival also has a history of incorporating comedy including performances by Flight of The Conchords, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, and many more.

Also included on this year's agenda are continued greening initiatives with Esurance, the title sponsor for the 2010 festival. For the past three years, the auto insurance provider has teamed up with Sasquatch! to promote a greener festival. By increasing sustainable practices at the Gorge, including an expanded recycling program, eco-friendly signage, and energy-efficient lighting, they were able to reduce the overall carbon footprint at the venue as compared to previous years. As this year's title sponsor, Esurance continues its drive toward a planet-friendly festival by offering numerous ridesharing options with carpool partner, Zimride. Beginning with the launch party in February and following through with the festival itself in May, Esurance makes it easy for folks to share a ride and minimize environmental impacts created by such a large event.

2010 SASQUATCH! FESTIVAL LINEUP

My Morning Jacket
Massive Attack
Pavement
Ween
Vampire Weekend
MGMT
Band of Horses
The National
LCD Soundsystem
Tegan & Sara
Broken Social Scene
Passion Pit
Deadmau5
She & Him
Public Enemy
Nada Surf
The New Pornographers
The Hold Steady
The xx
Dirty Projectors
OK Go
Drive By Truckers
Kid Cudi
The Long Winters
Minus the Bear
The Mountain Goats
Quasi
Camera Obscura
Fruit Bats
Brother Ali
Midlake
Dr. Dog
Caribou
Simian Mobile Disco
City & Colour
No Age
The Temper Trap
Vetiver
Miike Snow
Portugal. The Man
Telekinesis
Mayer Hawthorne
Why?
Girls
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Wale
The Lonely Forest
Japandroids
Boys Noize
Yacht
Freelance Whales
Laura Marling
Patrick Watson
Past Lives
Cymbals Eat Guitars
The Low Anthem
The Very Best
Phantogram
Neon Indian
Nurses
The Tallest Man on Earth
Fresh Espresso
Mumford & Sons
Jets Overhead
tUnE-YarDs
Shabazz Palaces
Fool's Gold
Morning Teleportation
Z-Trip
Dam-Funk
Hudson Mohawke
The Middle East
Local Natives
Avi Buffalo
Booka Shade
A-Trak
Yes Giantess
Craig Robinson
Rob Riggle
Garfunkel & Oates
Luke Burbank
...and more to come!

Album due Feb. 16; view new video below.

By Blurt Staff

With the new Tindersticks album, Falling Down a Mountain, due in stores on Feb. 16 via Constellation, the British band is doing the smart thing and giving us fans a sneak peek. The entire record is currently streaming at the album's official site:

http://fallingdownamountain.com/listen/

It's allready receiving rave reviews abroad - there's a newly colorful, textured, dynamic and at times even exuberant musical personality for the rejuvenated band (the Tindersticks came out of semi-hibernation in 2008 following a 5-year break). The recordings were very much a group effort, built from a foundation of original members, Stuart Staples (guitar, voice), David Boulter (keyboards) and Neil Fraser (guitar), plus long time collaborator Terry Edwards (trumpet) and more recent recruits Dan McKinna (bass) and Andy Nice (cello), all of whom appeared on the band's ‘08 album, The Hungry Saw, and the fresh additions of Earl Harvin (drums, vocals), David Kitt (guitar, vocals) and a rare guest vocal appearance by Mary Margaret O'Hara.

Watch BLURT for a full review of the album the week of its release. Meanwhile, there's a video for key track "Black Smoke" making the rounds. Over the past decade Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard have risen to acclaim making experimental video works and live performances mining music culture, including their 1998 reenactment of David Bowie's last show as Ziggy Stardust, "A Rock 'N' Roll Suicide", and their remake of the videotape of the near-mythical performance by The Cramps at Napa Mental Institute in 1978, "File under Sacred Music". Following a request from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, for whom they've been working with extensively, Forsyth and Pollard have started to expand their practice to work on music promo videos, viral projects and short documentaries. They are also ardent Tindersticks fans - hence this one for "Black Smoke."

Tindersticks: Black Smoke from Iain & Jane on Vimeo.

West coast fungi farmers make with the Cinema Verite travelogue: I'd call that a bargain, yo!

By Blurt Staff

San Francisco's Mushroom return with their first album in three years, NAKED, STONED, & STABBED, to be released April 27 through 4 Zero Records/Royal Potato Family. A new phase for Mushroom, the project was conceived as a cross-continental Cinema Verite travelogue of time and space. Acoustic, ambient and blending eastern and western hemispheres, its music floats on an ethereal blanket of sitar, violin, pump organ, celesta, vibraharp, dulcimer and flutophone, while African, Latin and Indian percussion replace a conventional drum set. Enigmatic song titles include "Celebration At Big Sur (The Sound Of The Gulls Outside Of Room 124)," "Though You're Where You Want To Be, You're Not Where You Belong," "Tariq Ali" and the only outside composition, a remake of the Syd Barrett/Kevin Ayers' collaboration, "Singing A Song In The Morning."

Recorded over a weekend at The Wally Sound in Oakland, CA, the sessions were both planned and spontaneous with producer and percussionist Pat Thomas often adding and subtracting instrumentalists on the fly. Configurations range from a duo to a trio to an octet, and thus give each song a varied approach. At the time of the recording, the band had just come off a multi-night run of performances interpreting Pete Townshend's 1971 rock opera Lifehouse. The vulnerable and dynamic music of that experience provided a catalyst that resulted in the album's final 13 tracks. Mushroom also cite influences like Sandy Bull, Alice Coltrane, Davy Graham, Brian Eno and Fela Kuti as having played a roll in the sounds found on Naked, Stoned, & Stabbed.

 
Mushroom first formed in the mid-'90s and have since amassed a 12-album discography. A loose and rotating cast of Bay area musicians, its members include guitarist/knob twiddler Josh Pollock (a member of Citay, and collaborator with Gong, Acid Mothers Temple, Ruins, John Cale, and Damo Suzuki), vintage keyboard guru Matt Cunitz (Brightblack Morning Light, Hiss Golden Messenger), multi-instrumentalist Erik Pearson (Daevid Allen, Irene Sazer, Crooked Jades, Billy Talbot/Crazy Horse), bassist Ned Doherty, drummer/bandleader Pat Thomas (renowned reissue producer of recordings by Judee Sill, Ruthann Friedman, Pearls Before Swine, Terry Reid, Cluster & Eno), and Mushroom's newest member, percussionist David Brandt (his adventures include a European tour with the Kologbo Afrobeat Academy [Oghene Kologbo was the guitarist in Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band], and performances with Conduction maestro Butch Morris' New York Skyscraper).

No title yet for John McEntire-produced platter; tour dates set for May w/presale starting today.

By Blurt Staff

Broken Social Scene will be releasing their new, as-yet-untitled album on May 4^th on Arts & Crafts.  Co-produced by the band and Tortoise's John McEntire at Soma Studios in Chicago, with additional recording at Giant Studio and The Schvitz Studio in Toronto, the new album is the follow up to their acclaimed self-titled record, released in 2005.  

There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen for this one, because in addition to the current lineup of Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin, Andrew Whiteman, Sam Goldberg  and Lisa Lobsinger, there's a virtual clusterfuck of guest appearances.

Among  them are BSS alumni Leslie Feist, Amy Millan and Evan Cranley of Stars, Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw of Metric, Jason Collett, Ohad Benchetrit of Do Make Say Think and Years, John Crossingham, Marty Kinack, Leon Kingstone and Julie Penner.

But wait, there's more! Also guesting is a who's-who of indie rock icons: John McEntire, The Sea and Cake's Sam Prekop, Tortoise's Doug McCombs, Pavement's Spiral Stairs, Sebastian Grainger, Poi Dog Pondering's Susan Bells, Helen Money's Alison Chesley and The Weakerthans' Jason Tait.

The details:

Founded ten years ago by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, Broken Social Scene very quickly established themselves as one of the most vital voices in independent music.  Assembled by Drew, and made up of an assortment of musical friends, lovers, and strangers, the band emerged fully-formed from their hometown of Toronto in 2002.  They were an instantly engaging energetic entity:  a tightly-knit community bursting at the seams with talent, personalities, songs and many, many guitars.  Their albums - which were recently regaled on many "Best of the Decade" lists for the 00's - were cinematic, critically-acclaimed splashes of concept and melody, marrying a dizzying onslaught of sounds with finely-crafted choruses.  The band's ability to weave a plethora of voices, specific genre elements, and varied instrumentation into a postmodern aural pastiche launched them instantly onto the international stage.  Between 2002 and 2009, Broken Social Scene was seemingly everywhere, touring from Mexico City to Moscow, winning Juno Awards, scoring acclaimed films like Half Nelson, making multiple appearances on late-night television shows, and more.  Live, their shows were notoriously epic, cathartic affairs, sometimes lasting over three hours - the result of just wanting to keep playing.  They made their own videos, created their own art work, and simply looked like they were probably having more fun together than any other band out there.  As a group, or on their own, Broken Social Scene's members released some of the 00's most notable independent albums, predominantly from under the umbrella of their own label, Arts & Crafts, cementing their status as one of Canada's most important musical exports.

With their new album, the first Broken Social Scene record following the acclaimed Broken Social Scene Presents... series, Broken Social Scene decided it was time to try something new.  As a core six-piece who had spent most of 2007 and 2008 on the road, Drew, Canning, Spearin, Whiteman, Goldberg and Peroff spent early 2009 working on new material in Toronto.  The pairing down of the band's massive personnel list for the first time proved extremely fruitful; they created spacious songs written as a band by a band, resulting in more cohesive, melody-driven compositions than previous BSS output.  They then decamped to Chicago, recording outside of Toronto for the first time, which allowed them to fully immerse themselves in the recording process.  In producer John McEntire - a musical hero for many of the band's members - they found a fresh perspective on their own sound; this continued to fuel the creative process, resulting in nearly 40 songs written in and out of the studio, a number of which were put together as the first new Broken Social Scene record in five years.  

*** 

Broken Social Scene will also be playing select dates around their new album's release.  A pre-sale for tickets to shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York starts today via GalleryAC.com.  The dates: 

5/1/10             San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

5/3/10             Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre

5/7/10             New York, NY @ Webster Hall

5/13/10           London, UK @ Brixton Academy (w/ Pavement)

5/14/10           Minehead, UK @ All Tomorrow's Parties

5/17/10           London, UK @ Heaven

5/18/10           Amsterdam, NE @ Melkweg

5/19/10           Cologne, GR @ Burgerhaus Stollwerck

5/21/10           Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie

6/19/10           Toronto, ON @ Toronto Island (w/ Pavement, Band of Horses)

[Photo Credit: Norman Wong]

Strung Out frontman drops a bomb.

By Fred Mills

Jason Cruz - that's the charismatic frontman for punk band Strung Out to you, pal - has a new entry in his BLURT blog posted to the site today, and in it he discloses some pretty big news. We're not going to spoil the surprise here - you'll have to head over to his blog, "Strung Medicine," and read for yourself.

However, we will share this particularly pregnant line from his blog with you:

"All I rebelled against, feared, loved, despised and sought to be, is coming around. Everything I stood for and lost is coming right back home."

Boy howdy to that, Mr. Cruz.

Strung out's latest album is Agents of the Underground, released in September by Fat Wreck Chords.They'll be hitting the road in late February for a couple of west coast dates followed by European tour starting in mid March. Go to their MySpace page for details. Incidentally, one of our other bloggers, John Moore, interviewed Cruz for BLURT not long ago about his band's longevity, which now extends to 20 years and counting. Read the interview here.

Mounting two special concerts later this month in NYC and LA.

By Fred Mills

It's Groundhog Day so what better way to pop our heads out of the ground and look around than to spot news of a new Dirty Projectors project. Pitchfork is reporting that DP mainman Dave Longstreth is planning to revive his band's 2005 project The Getty Address for a pair of concerts in L.A. and NYC featuring 15-piece group Alarm Will Sound (who in the past has recording albums of Steve Reich and Aphex Twin covers, believe it or not), plus conductor Alan Pierson.

The concerts: Feb. 19 at Lincoln Center in NYC, and Feb. 27 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The latter will be a co-headline bill with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, who will, according to Pitchfork, "play orchestral pieces that Longstreth picked out" for their segment. No word on whether or not said orchestral pieces will be Dirty Projectors-related, however.

The DPs will also do selections culled from the recent Bitte Orca album in addition to doing The Getty Address in full.

"It's the Who meets the Ramones meets the Easybeats meets Beach Blanket Bingo! It's the criminals Australia wants to ship back to England and call it even! It's the High Priests of the Barbarella Girl God Love Cult!  It's The Chevelles! - Little Steven Van Zandt

By Blurt Staff

The Chevelles, whose track "Get It On" was featured in "Rock Band 2," announce their 20th Anniversary World Tour in support of their first Wicked Cool Records release: Barbarella Girl God: Introducing The Chevelles.

The Chevelles have played over 1000 live shows since four long-haired West Australian kids crawled out of the surf in 1990, determined to share their version of revivalist 60's psychedelia and post punk garage rock and roll.  Since that time, the band has cemented their reputation as Australian Cult Garage Power Pop Legends by touring rooms and festival of all sizes in their native Australia, the U.S., Brazil, and Europe

During 2008, The Chevelles threw their catalog in the 350 Chevy and sped to New York where Little Steven signed the band to a worldwide deal, included the band's entire catalog and publishing.  The deal has culminated in the release of Barbarella Girl God - Introducing the Chevelles" It features Little Steven's Chevelles favorites, including many cuts heard for years on the Underground Garage radio show.  The band's catalog was released digitally (including their most recent album "Accelerator"), yet "Barbarella Girl God" pulls from multiple sources and is the perfect rromo for the 20th Anniversary Tour.

The Chevelles are also firing up the Chevy for the prestigious Australian "Big Day Out" festival. Likewise, with the help and organization of the Australian government, they are touring extensively on the heels of other success stories, like their single "Get Back To New York City," which was broadcast on Fox during the MLB World Series.

Free MP3: "Get It On"

Tour Dates:

Sat, 3/13 - Las Vegas (Double Down Saloon)

Sun, 3/14 - Los Angeles (Aussie Showcase @ The Echo)

Tue, 3/16 - Houston (Australian American Chamber of Commerce Show) at the Mink On Main (Backroom)

Wed, 3/17 - Austin (Paisley Umbrella SxSW Showcase)

Fri, 3/19 - Austin (SxSW Showcase)

Sat, 3/20 - Austin Maggie Mae's (Aussie BBQ and WAMI Showcase)

Mon, 3/22 - Cleveland (Beach Ballroom)

Wed, 3/24 - Chicago (Bottom Lounge)

Thu, 3/25 - New York (Aussie Showcase @ The Bell House)

Fri, 3/26 - Philadelphia (Details TBC)

Sat, 3/27 - Boston (Details TBC)

On the web:

http:/www.thechevelles.com

http://www.myspace.com/thechevelles

Just in time for Valentine's Day - make your preorders with Merge now.

By Blurt Staff

Merge has announced the long-awaited release of The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs box set on limited-edition 10" vinyl (with MP3 download coupon) to be released April 20. The story has it that Stephin Merritt came up with the idea for 69 Love Songs while sitting in an elegant midtown Manhattan gay piano bar. He originally planned for it to be a live musical revue, performed with a rotating cast of singers in the plush hotel bars and cabarets of New York City.

69 Love Songs was released in September of 1999. Fans and critics were ecstatic, and 69 Love Songs became one of the most talked-about records of 1999. It remains one of the most beloved albums in the Merge catalog. As Spin magazine said, "Like the best cabaret, Stephin Merritt's triple-CD monsterpiece charms on contact, and like the best indie-pop, you'll want to unravel it endlessly."

Free MP3: "Book Of Love"

The limited-edition box set includes all 69 love songs re-mastered for vinyl on six 10" records and housed in a super-sized 69 Love Songs box, along with a 10" version of the original booklet featuring liner notes written by Lemony Snicket author Daniel Handler.

Billed as  "virtual event" for fans, the news will be accompanied by tickets going onsale Tuesday, Feb. 9.

By Blurt Staff

This just in from ConcertWire:

Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment announce that a unique unveiling of the 2010 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival lineup will take place Tuesday, February 9. The reveal will unfold throughout the day, creating a virtual event for Bonnaroo fans, who will be able to view and discuss the confirmed lineup on Bonnaroo.com as it is revealed. Complementing this special announcement event, Bonnaroo tickets will go on sale-for the first time ever-on the day the lineup is unveiled. Tickets will go on sale at noon EST on February 9, exclusively through Bonnaroo.com.

Tix onsale now to Vault subscribers; general public onsale this Friday.

By Blurt Staff

The Dead Weather have announced they will be hitting the road again stateside for a 13-city Spring jaunt that includes appearances at Coachella and the  New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Tickets are available now for subscribers to The Vault, Third Man Records' online subscription service, and available to the general public starting Friday, February 5^th.

This'll be the latest leg of the band's Horehound tour for the supergroup - which in case you don't recall, comprises Dean Fertita (Queens Of The Stone Age), "Little" Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes), Alison Mosshart (The Kills) & Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs).

Tour Dates:

04/15/10            San Francisco @ The Fillmore

04/17/10            Indio, CA @ Coachella

04/18/10            Las Vegas, NV @ The Pearl Concert Theater

04/20/10           Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater

04/22/10           Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom

04/23/10           Bonner Springs, KS @ Sandstone w/The Flaming Lips

04/24/10           St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant

04/26/10           Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues

04/27/10            Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Soundstage

04/28/10           Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall

04/30/10           Austin, TX @ Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater

05/01/10            Houston, TX @ House of Blues

05/02/10           New Orleans, LA @ The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

The shape-shifting indie rockers, led by flamboyant frontman Kevin Barnes, blow things up real good at the 9:30 Club on January 28.

By Matt Siblo / Photos By Kyle Gustafson

One band's ostentatious is another's austerity. Such was the case with Of Montreal's performance at the 9:30 club Thursday night, just a little over a year since its last stop at the venue. As the band's popularity has grown, its outlandishly surreal stage show has mirrored lead singer Kevin Barnes' loopy psychedelic narratives. While promoting 2008's Skeletal Lamping, band members were tiered on a cluttered stage amidst elaborate conceptual set pieces and hyperactive interpretative dancers. Though tonight's nearly 20-song set wasn't exactly lacking for spectacle- what with the molesting bishops and mock-crucifixion- it didn't feel quite as overstuffed. This is a recession, after all.

Barnes' metamorphosis resulting from the harrowing events leading up to 2007's Hissing Fauna... is now old news, but his brash hyper-sexualized stage persona remains electrifying to watch.  Slinking around the stage dressed like a matador transvestite, his complete absence of super-ego is both fetching and bizarre. On stage, Barnes transforms into Georgie Fruit, a 40-year-old African-American funk singer who has had numerous sex changes. To see him, it comes dangerously close to making sense.  As the rest of the band, accompanied by costumed ghouls and animals, paraded around the stage like extras from H.R. Puffinstuf, its deliriousness turned infectious and the largely underage crowd lapped up every outlandish diversion.

But even as Of Montreal's set was swifter than its previous jaunt-it's hard to maintain a sugar rush for 2 full hours- it occasionally turned listless. Barnes announced that the band would be releasing a new album in September, but it previewed only one new song, the mid-tempo "Metal finds Troll," hardly resembling the new Parliament-inspired direction Barnes has been feeding the press.  On songs like "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger" and a ferocious rendition of "She's a Rejecter," the band reasserted itself, proving that underneath the pomp and confetti, its melodies are just as engrossing as its gimmicks.    

For its encore, Of Montreal regrouped for a well-intentioned if not quite successful cover of The Jackson Five's "I Want You Back."  Even Barnes, the mercurial interloper that he is, couldn't strike a post-modern pose recreating the magic of its source material. 

[Photos credit: Kyle Gustafson:  http://photokyle.com/photoblog/]

Casa Gogol Celebrates The Spring Release of Transcontinental Hustle, The New Gogol Bordello Studio Album Produced by Rick Rubin

By Blurt Staff

The gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello, whose live shows have Entertainment Weekly dubbing them "the world's most perfect festival band," will headline an international mini-festival of their own, the Casa Gogol Tour, an evening's worth of insurgence from the multi kulti revolution, launching April 18 in Montreal. Tour dates are below.

The North American leg of the Casa Gogol Tour follows Gogol Bordello's appearance at the 2010 Tibet House Benefit Concert in New York and the band's major tour of Australia in late March and April.

All dates on the Casa Gogol Tour will feature a full-on Gogol Bordello headline concert as well as sets by bands and DJs in simpatico with the GB mission.  North American dates on the Casa Gogol Tour run from April 18 through May 1 and will include sets by Slavic-punk-band DeVotchKa, East Village punk troubadour Jesse Malin and St. Mark's Social, electro-anarchists Tres Leches Afterparty Sound Crew and special surprise guest appearances.

Select dates on the European leg of the Casa Gogol Tour will include sets by the VMA-winning Brooklyn punk-dance duo Matt & Kim, Mariachi El Bronx (the musical alter-ego of the hardcore punk band The Bronx) and Tres Leches Afterparty Sound Crew.

Casa Gogol is crossing America, and then the Atlantic, to celebrate the upcoming release of Transcontinental Hustle, the fifth studio album from Gogol Bordello.   Produced by Rick Rubin, Transcontinental Hustle is the first Gogol Bordello studio album since 2007's SUPER TARANTA!

We are advised by the band: "Gogol Bordello's radical invocations of positive primal energy and planetary consciousness combine with a music infused with ska, metal, punk, rap, dub and, more recently, intimations of indigenous Brazilian sounds to produce a party maelstrom of electrifying proportions. Led by revolutionary change agent and provocateur Eugene Hutz, Gogol Bordello, a nine-piece juggernaut of gypsy rebel soul, has become an international force to be reckoned with."

Well, all right then!

Tour Dates:

Fri       Feb, 26           New York, NY                       Carnegie Hall (Tibet House benefit)

Sun      Mar, 28           Fremantle, AUS                     West Roots Blues

Tue      Mar, 30           Melbourne, AUS                   Billboard

Wed    Mar, 31           Sydney, AUS                          The Metro

Fri       Apr, 2              Brisbane, AUS                       The HiFi

Sun      Apr, 4              Byron Bay, AUS                    Byron Bay Blues Fest

Mon    Apr, 5              Byron Bay, AUS                    Byron Bay Blues Fest

All Casa Gogol North America dates below will include performance by DeVotchKa, Jesse Malin and  St. Mark's Social, and Tres Leches Afterparty Sound Crew as support.

Sun      Apr, 18           Montreal, QC                         Metropolis

Tue      Apr, 20           Toronto, ON                         Sound Academy

Wed    Apr, 21           Detroit, MI                            Royal Oak

Fri       Apr, 23           Chicago, IL                           Congress

Sat       Apr, 24           Minneapolis, MN                  First Ave

Sun      Apr, 25           Minneapolis, MN                  First Ave

Wed    Apr, 28           Boston, MA                           House of Blues

Thu      Apr, 29           Baltimore, MD                      Rams Head Live

Fri       Apr, 30           Baltimore, MD                      Rams Head Live

Sat       May, 1            Philadelphia, PA                    Electric Factory

All Casa Gogol European dates below, except festivals in bold, include performances by Matt and Kim, Mariachi El Bronx, and Tres Leches Afterparty Sound Crew as support.

** Matt and Kim NOT performing at these shows

#  Announced as The Bronx (not Mariachi El Bronx)

Date                            City                                        Venue                                   

Fri       May, 7            London, UK                           Hammersmith Apolo #

Sat       May, 8            Manchester, UK                    Academy

Sun      May, 9            Glasgow, UK                         Academy

Mon    May, 10          Norwich, UK                         UEA

Tue      May, 11          Birmingham, UK                   Academy

Fri      May, 14          Bulligny/Nancy, FR            JDM Fest

Sat      May, 15          Longirod, CH                      Longirock

Sun      May, 16          Karlsruhe, GER                     Tollhaus

Tue      May, 18          Paris, FR                                Elysee Montmartre

Wed    May, 19          Toulouse, FR                         Le Bikini

Fri       May, 21          Madrid, SP                             La Riviera**

Sat       May, 22          Barcelona, SP                        Razzmatazz**

Mon    May, 24          Bologna, IT                            Estragoon

Tue      May, 25          Milan, IT                                 Alcatraz

Wed    May, 26          Zurich, CH                             Xtra

Thu      May, 27          Wien, AT                                Gasometer **

Tue      Jun, 1              Amsterdam, NL                     Paradiso **

Wed    Jun, 2              Hamburg, GER                      Docks **

Thu      Jun, 3              Berlin, GER                           Astra/Columbia Halle **

Fri      Jun, 4             Nuremburg, GER               Rock im Park

Sun     Jun, 6             Nurburgring, GER             Rock am Ring

Hairy palmed fanboys across the nation go "sigh....."

By Fred Mills

We already told you about Sweet Apple - the indie rock supergroup formed by Dinosaur Jr's J. Mascis and Cobra Verde/Death of Samantha frontman John Petkovic, plus Cobra Verde's Tim Parnin and Mascis' bass-playing partner in Witch, Dave Sweetapple. Their Love and Desperation album hits stores April 20 on Tee Pee, and they'll be touring, too, including the Tee Pee showcase at SXSW in Austin.

Today they unveiled the cover art to the LP, and as one picture (above) is worth a thousand strokes, er, words, we decided that a second picture (below) is worth just about a zillion. Something tells us that Petkovic, a notoriously knowledgeable rock-archive type dude, had a hand in his band's album art, which was done by Seldon Hunt (Isis, Sun O))), & Pelican). Enjoy!

Will the real Neon Angel please stand up and be counted. Where's Neil Shusterman, by the way?

By Fred Mills

With all the hype surrounding The Runaways film happening right now - those of you whose bullshit meters flicker into the red whenever Hollywood gets involved with a rock ‘n' roll story, maybe check out this trailer and commentary - it was inevitable that various folks associated with the movie would drum up some side business.

Indeed, erstwhile frontwoman Cherie Currie has just announced the impending publication of Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway, due March 16 (same week as the movie hits theaters) from It Books/Harper Collins. I'll go the extra mile and post the entire press release about the book below.

What's interesting is that the publisher states that the movie was based on the book, yet no mention is made of the fact that way back in 1989 Currie published a memoir bearing the remarkably similar title Neon Angel: The Cherie Currie Story. For this new book the press release indicates it took Currie "more than three decades" to write, but if you figure she originally quit the Runaways in the late '70, a book published in '89 took considerably less than 30+ years to complete.

Here's the editorial description from 1989 as detailed at Amazon.com from Publishers Weekly:

Currie powerfully recounts her teenage years in this candid autobiography, chronicling the experiences that destroyed her self-confidence and led her to drug and alcohol abuse. At 15 she became the lead singer for the Runaways, a female rock group. The Runaways soared rapidly to success, but Currie was overwhelmed by the pace and constant travel. As the pressure increased, Currie went from marijuana to Quaaludes; amid family conflicts and quarrels with the Runaways, she eventually became a cocaine addict. At age 17 she left the group to produce a solo album; her drug use continued to escalate, moreso when she learned that her father was dying of alcoholism, and her mother, of cancer. Currie lets readers know that drug abuse destroyed her family, her career and almost her life; she hit rock bottom before realizing that if she didn't get help she would die. This turbulent, frightening story sends mature readers a potent warning against drugs. Ages 12-up.

Wow. Turbulent. Frightening, even.

So is this NEW Neon Angel a totally NEW memoir? The 1989 edition lists a co-author named Neil Shusterman, while the 2010 book credits the book to Currie and Tony O'Neil. What the hell happened to Neil Shusterman? (Maybe he got carved up by a chainsaw - see below.) Of course, the 1989 edition totally blew chunks  - I've had it for years, and as a collector of music books I feel confident in saying that it is, er, a "lesser work" in the pantheon of rock bios and memoirs. The fact that Amazon.com is also listing it for sale among its used book vendors for $75 and up is cause for great mirth, too; caveat emptor.

Come to think of it, maybe that last term applies here too....

***

Official Press Release:

LOS ANGELES, February 2, 2010: When Cherie Currie, the lead singer of 1970s teenage girl group The Runaways, sat down to write her personal memoir, NEON ANGEL: A Memoir of a Runaway (It Books/An Imprint of HarperCollins; On sale: March 16, 2010; $24.99; Hardcover) she never imagined the book would be made into a highly anticipated movie, starring some of Hollywood's hottest actors.

Cherri Currie is the original lead singer of ‘70s teenage, all-girl rock band The Runaways. At the tender age of 15, she joined the group, a talented group of girls who could play rock like no other female group before them. On the face of it, Currie's is a cool story of girl empowerment and fame. But the truth is darker, as Currie and her band mates dealt with predatory men who were not necessarily looking out for their best interests. On the road, unsupervised for months at a time, she had to grow up fast and experience things that no teenaged girl should.

Cherie's amazing resilience is inspiring.  As band mate Joan Jett says in the book's foreword:  "Neon Angel is a chronicle of a remarkable journey - the story of a remarkable woman, who has an uncanny knack of reinventing herself - from singer, to actor, to drug counselor, to physical trainer, to mom, to author, to painter, to chain saw carver...While excelling at every turn, Cherie has also exhibited an ironic flair for finding herself in dramatic situations." 

Writing NEON ANGEL itself, was a journey for Currie, and it took more than three decades before it was finally completed. Her story exposes the side of the music industry that fans never get to see. Chronicling the group's rise to fame, the book recounts their ultimate demise, and Currie's struggles with drugs, rape, violence and, ultimately, her fight to reclaim her life.  

The girls, Currie with Joan Jett, and Lita Ford on guitar and Sandy West on drums, arrived on the Los Angeles music scene in 1975, belting out provocative teen rebellion songs such as "Cherry Bomb." They  quickly catapulted from playing small LA clubs to selling out major stadiums. With her signature Bowie-hair cut and fishnet stockings, Cherie lit up the stage, singing hits such as "Cherry Bomb," "Queens of Noise," and "Born to Be Bad." Playing on Cherie's name, Joan Jett and Kim Fowley wrote the worldwide hit "Cherry Bomb" on the spot, for Cherie to audition for the band, one of the many compelling stories Currie tells in NEON ANGEL.

The Runaways were the first all-girl rock band to have hit songs, record platinum albums (at least 1,000,000 units sold), and tour internationally. But behind the scenes, NEON ANGEL is a story of five teen girls, runaways, thrown into a decadent, high-pressure world. As Cherie chronicles the band's rise from LA clubs to selling out their first US tour, she also weaves in a portrait of an amazing time in punk rock. The Runaways headlined shows with opening acts such as the Ramones, Van Halen, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Cheap Trick, and Blondie. They played at CBGBs, and got into the London punk scene and hung out with The Sex Pistols.

Cherie's unique stage persona and fashion style has influenced many of the artists who came after, and that influence can be clearly seen in such very successful performers as Madonna and Lady Gaga.

With the help of multi-platinum hit songwriter and producer Kenny Laguna, Currie was able to have her book made into the feature film,  The Runaways --starring Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds, New Moon, The Secret Lives of Bees) as Currie, and Kristen Stewart (Twilight, New Moon, Into The Wild, Panic Room) playing Joan Jett.  The Runaways also stars Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) as manager Kim Fowley, and Oscar winner Tatum O'Neal as Cherie's mother. 

The Runaways movie is schedule hits theaters nationwide March 19, 2010.

About the author:

Cherie Currie rocketed to rock and roll stardom when she joined the Runaways at the young age of 15. She's been described as "the lost daughter of Iggy Pop and Brigitte Bardot."   Shortly after the band's demise, the rock star landed a coveted role in the Jodi Foster movie, Foxes, and later went on to appear in the films Wavelength with Robert Carradine, Parasite with Demi Moore, and Twilight Zone: The Movie, with Dan Aykroyd.

Currie is still performing, writing, and acting, and she continues to take on unorthodox endeavors.  One of the most prominent chainsaw carvers in the world, she was rated No. 7 in the world for chainsaw competition in 2008.

#          #          #

NEON ANGEL: A Memoir of a Runaway

By Cherie Currie with Tony O'Neill

It Books/An Imprint of HarperCollins

Hardcover; On sale: March 16, 2010

Price: $24.99; Pages: 398

ISBN: 9780061961359

Autopsy results released this morning.

By Fred Mills

Breaking news from Memphis daily The Commercial Appeal is saying that the results from Jay Reatard's autopsy are in. Reatard, 29, was found dead in his Memphis home on Jan. 13.

According to Shelby County Medical Examiner Dr. Karen E. Chancellor, the cause of death was "cocaine toxicity, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death."

Read more about Reatard at BLURT:

Jay Reatard R.I.P. 1980-2010

Beck, Others Pay Tribute to Jay Reatard

FAREWELL An Interview with Jay Reatard

Latest poll reveals our resident whipping boys the Kings Of Leon rubbing shoulders with Lady Gaga and U2, though not exactly in the way they expected.

By Blurt Staff

The latest BLURT poll results are in, and the readers have spoken: Lady Gaga, U2 and Kings of Leon are apparently among the most-loathed artists on the planet (at least among those who received GRAMMY nominations this year, that is). We asked you:

The 52^nd Annual GRAMMYS Awards Are Jan. 31 at 8pm. Which of these nominees do you wish would, like, just go the hell away?

And the winners, er, losers are, in order of percentage of votes picked up:

Lady Gaga - 32%

U2 - 20%

Kings Of Leon - 14%

Eminem - 7%

Bruce Springsteen - 5%

Coldplay - 5%

Katy Perry - 3%

Black Eyed Peas - 3%

Beyonce - 2%

Colbie Caillat - 1%

MGMT - 0%

Silversun Pickups - 0%

Stevie Wonder - 0%

David Guetta - 0%

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 0%

Clearly the overexposure over the past 12 months or so that Gaga, the Kings and U2 have amassed not only worked IN their favor (they nabbed GRAMMYS as a result, for as we all know a GRAMMY award has nothing to do with actual artistic accomplishment) but AGAINST them (their standings in this poll). We're not quite sure what the rest of the results mean, however; granted, most BLURT readers haven't even heard of David Guetta or Colbie Caillat, but you'd think folks would have some opinion of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Silversun Pickups. What, we wonder, would the GRAMMYS been like this year if the average BLURT reader was also a GRAMMY voter?

Who knows! Just the same, the people have spoken. For those of you about to rock, we salute you!

The new BLURT poll is up now - vote for your favorite music festival of 2010. Just scroll down the left hand side of the home page to view it.

Well, it's not exactly like that - Arcade Fire has licensed a song to be aired during the game, proceeds going to Haiti relief. Then John Mayer has some news as well.

By Blurt Staff

And it's the perfect song to air, too, we think.

Arcade Fire, Partners in Health, the NFL, Merge Records and Bank Robber Music have collectively agreed upon a unique 100% for charity Superbowl licensing of "Wake Up" from the band's 2004 album Funeral. All proceeds from the song's airing on the live Superbowl broadcast and subsequent airings on the NFL Network will go directly to Partners In Health's Stand With Haiti relief efforts.

For further information on Partners In Health's efforts regarding the Haiti crisis, go to http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti or see the information posted at http://www.arcadefire.com/

Meanwhile, professional mook and masturbation advocate John Mayer has also gotten into the act and is letting his 2006 hit "The Heart of Life" to be used by the Red Cross in ads. The guitarist also donated $500,000 to the Red Cross for Haiti relief funds, so don't take our sarcasm too literally: help is help, and money is money, no matter what the source, and that's a good thing.

Cool video clip below. Exclusive interview coming to this very website next week, too.

By Blurt Staff

Allison Moorer's upcoming Crows, arrives next week via Ryko. It's already racking up some great early ink: The Boston Globe calls this 13-track album, produced by R.S. Field (Buddy Guy, John Mayall),  "striking" and says "covering the likes of Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, and Nina Simone on last year's ‘Mockingbird' seems to have rubbed off on her." American Songwriter's four-star appraisal finds the album "coaxingly lovely in its ministrations," and "beautiful" simply describes her performance on a recent New York Times popcast.  And  MOJO magazine's March issue complements her vocal style as "bearing a grave grace and weight-honestly forceful, not showy."  

Watch BLURT next week as well for our own impressions - we've also got an exclusive interview with Moorer that will be posted in our features section.

Meanwhile, her momentum continues to build at radio. The album's first single, "Broken Girl," was the #1 most added at Americana radio during its debut week, and is now #9 on the chart. The song was also #3 most added at Triple A/Non- Commercial and is currently at #19. Check out her interview and performance on New York Times Popcast.  

Upcoming Performances:

Fri, 2/5, Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live - 12PM (XPN Free at Noon)

Mon, 2/8, New York, NY @ Joe's Pub - 7:30pm (Album Release Show)

Tues, 2/9, New York, NY @ Barnes & Noble (Lincoln Center Location) - 6pm (In Store)

Sat, 2/13, Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble (Album Release Show)

First artist in Weathervane Music's new "Shaking Through" series.

By Fred Mills

So if you're reading this you've probably read our exclusive interview with Sharon van Etten that we posted to the site this morning, right? If not, go here - BLURT contributor Jennifer Kelly talked at length with the songwriter and also attended her recent concert in Cambridge where she opened a very special show for Damon & Naomi (not so coincidentally, big fans of van Etten; the photo, above, was taken at the concert).

So anyway, over at Weathervane Music, a non-profit organization dedicated to working with deserving independent artists and help push their careers forward (artists like van Etten, in fact), they've just posted a free van Etten MP3 at their site titled "Love More". The new recording is part of Weathervane's newly-christened "Shaking Through" series.

As Weathervane director Brian McTear (a Philadelphia producer and musician of no small acclaim) puts it at their site, "Listening to ‘Love More', watching the videos... there's soooo many people to thank. Their names are in the credits below the videos, and among the many sponsors that hooked this all up! Remember that Weathervane Music is a non-profit organization that does ALL of this to simply support and advance the work of great independent artists (9 more artists to come in 2010!). We ask that you share the news of this beautiful new piece of music."

Consider it shared, Brian.

Go here to access the van Etten MP3.

[Photo Credit: Katii Durrell; view more of her images at her Flickr page or contact her via email at katii.durrell@gmail.com]

New album NonStopErotik due March 30 on Cooking Vinyl. Recorded in Los Angeles, London and Brooklyn, it was produced by Eric Drew Feldman and Black Francis, and features 10 original songs plus a cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers track "Wheels".

By Blurt Staff

This just in from Black Francis, aka Frank Black, aka "that dude from the Pixies":

***

I finally came into possession of an old guitar someone had given me at a nightclub in San Francisco awhile back; Eric Drew Feldman had been holding it for me there on Haight Street.  He convinced me that it looked cool (it was black) and had been given in the spirit of benevolence.  Every time I picked it up a nice chord came out and so I lovingly cleaned it with red wine in the dressing room the following night and began to write.  I told the tour manager that we would drive in my Cadillac directly to a recording studio in Los Angeles (and could he book one, oh, and a rhythm section, too?) from the gig in San Luis Obispo which would put us at the studio at about 4am.  It all happened according to plan and we cut the initial tracks there in the wee hours over a few days, and then moved on to an equally haunted studio in London and Eric Drew Feldman joined us there and we finished the record in St. John's Wood.  Like I said the studio was haunted and I wrote many a couplet by candlelight in the studio accommodation, slept very little, and only felt the need to get the fuck out of there fast on the last night.  The spirits had not ever bothered me, other than low drama moral support, but I was informed that they had heard enough and it was time to move on; plus I had a gig in Ireland.

When I was a boy the plant we boys called a fern was code for vagina, and to this day I love fern plants.  In my heart the vagina is almost everything, and almost everything else could be summed up in what cock and seed have to offer; and everything else?  The love of the father, dead or alive, the pain of too much pleasure, till death do us part, the voice of another song man from the other side, with or without God, Teri and the Possibilities, where ever you may be, the smell of sex in the air, seduced, slain, on my knees in prayer, sucking at the only thing that matters, my own personal Meret Oppenheim, I am Man Ray and I want you and to be all the way inside you, the cameras whirring as we put some elbow grease into the scene, the audience watching us in the dark.


Black Francis
January 2010, Central Oregon

Thom Yorke, Devendra Banhart, Alan Vega, Tunde Adebimpe, Atlas Sound and others... what's not to like?

By Blurt Staff

We told you the other day about the new Liars album, Sisterworld, out March 9^th.  Now comes word about the deluxe two-disc version. It comes with "very special packaging," we are told

The second disc of the 2CD release sees each track on Sisterworld reinterpreted by a host of artists including Thom Yorke, Devendra Banhart and Alan Vega (full tracklisting below) while the unique packaging allows a surreal glimpse into the Sisterworld concertina (visit http://thesisterworld.com/visualaid.html for a Sisterworld packaging visual aid).

Scissor - By Pink Dollaz, Lance Whitaker & Transformation Surprise 

No Barrier Fun - By Duetonal (Alan Vega / Suicide)

Here Comes All The People - By Atlas Sound (Bradford Cox)

Drip - By Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead)

Scarecrows On A Killer Slant - By Tunde Adebimpe (TV On The Radio)

I Still Can See An Outside World - By Boyd Rice (NON)

Proud Evolution - Thom Yorke 500qd Remix 

Drop Dead - By Fol Chen

The Overachievers - By Devendra Banhart & The Grogs 

Goodnight Everything - By Melvins

Too Much, Too Much - By Carter Tutti (Throbbing Gristle)

Liars will tour North America in support of Sisterworld this coming Spring. The tour sees fellow LA band Fol Chen supporting Liars on all dates.

LIARS TOUR DATES:

4/10/10 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angele

4/14/10 - Rock & Roll Hotel - Washington, DC

4/15/10 - Bowery Ballroom - NYC

4/16/10 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia

4/17/10 - Paradise - Boston

4/18/10 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn

4/27/10 - Slim's - San Francisco

4/29/10 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR

4/30/10 - Venue - Vancouver, BC

5/1/10 - Neumos - Seattle

Revisit your video memories, below, all you hoofers.

By Blurt Staff

Some news just MUST be shared with the world: Just certified this week by Guinness World Records, the largest "YMCA" dance ever.

Whew.  We feel strangely... aroused, writing that last line.

But yeah: The Village People sang and 40,148 adoring fans in the stadium danced their way into a world record on December 31, 2008, and Guinness has giving them the certification. The largest "YMCA" dance ever was scored during the halftime show at the Brut Sun Bowl, in El Paso, Texas, presented by Helen of Troy, on that date.

Danny Girton, Jr., Guinness World Records Adjudication Manager, announced today, "On behalf of Guinness World Records, we are delighted to certify such a visual, fun and monumental record achievement. A very worthy effort by all 40,148 participants and we welcome them to the Guinness World Records family!"

As Andy Partridge might put it, let's briefly summarize what we've learned now, shall we?

PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES PAVEMENT, MODEST MOUSE, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, ST. VINCENT, RAEKWON, CASS MCCOMBS AND MORE TO PERFORM AT JULY TICKETS ON SALE TODAY AT NOON C.S.T

By Blurt Staff

As previously reported, the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival will be held at Chicago's Union Park on July 16 - 18. Tickets are on sale today at 12 PM C.S.T.

Headliners for Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be, respectively, Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem and Pavement, while other performers inked for the event thus far include Raekwon, Here We Go Magic, St. Vincent, Lightning Bolt, Cass McCombs and Sleigh Bells.

Now, before you say to yourself, "Gee, that's the weakest Pitchfork roster to date, compared to previous years," well, you may be right, but don't forget that we're in a recession and some artists aren't touring as extensively this year while others may have exorbitant booking fees. Besides, more bands will be announced in the coming weeks in case you're counting your own pennies and trying to decide which festivals to hit this year.

Speaking of which, vote in the BLURT poll for most-anticipated 2010 festivals. You can go to the left hand side of the homepage to vote, or view the current results here.

Tickets are on sale today at 12 PM CST at www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com. Single-day tickets can be purchased for $40 and three-day passes for $90. This year, Friday will feature more bands, providing festival-goers with a longer day of music. There will be no two-day passes for sale.

The 2010 Pitchfork Festival Lineup so far:

Friday

Modest Mouse

Saturday

LCD Soundsystem

Raekwon

Sunday

Pavement

St. Vincent

Lightning Bolt

Cass McCombs

Here We Go Magic

Sleigh Bells

Plus, we have a big interview with the man we'll be posting soon.

By Blurt Staff

Back in December we brought you details of Henry Rollins' latest spoken word tour - he's calling it his "Frequent Flyer" tour (official tour motto: "Knowledge without mileage equals bullshit") and it kicks off Feb. 17. You can check out details and tour dates at our December Rollins story.

We have a new interview with Rollins slated to run shortly on the site - our intrepid reporter even got Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips to hold forth on the erstwhile Black Flag frontman - and it's a pretty revealing feature. In it, he drops the bomb that he's "left his musical career behind," telling BLURT, "I don't wanna do the thing all over again. It's something I've done so many times. I don't know what else I can do with peanuts. Artistically, it's a checked swing. You're not risking too much."

Meanwhile, three new Rollins video clips are now available, in advance of the first North American leg of the tour. The clips - available in broadcast-quality NTSC and PAL, as well as QuickTime format for online use - can be downloaded here.

Taken from Rollins' TV specials shot in Israel, Australia, and South Africa, the video clips typify his spoken performances. The short segments highlight his ongoing passion for music (in a bit about sharing a press conference stage with James Brown), observations from his extensive travels (a light-hearted reflection on the continued prevalence of the mullet in Australia), and political commentary (less biting than absurd in this case, as he shares his over-the-top response to a letter from a gun-loving fan).

Meanwhile, the tour is already being favorably received in Europe, including this from The Scotsman:

"Offering the sort of rare insight only a combination of celebrity, furious work ethic and borderline madness can achieve...Through the bizarre - judging transvestite talent contests and attracting hate mail for his neo-Nazi character in a TV series - to the genuine horror stories, he retains the lightness of touch of a born raconteur, even during the most staggering revelation of all: that the restless 48-year-old has begun a serious relationship with a woman, something that leaves him genuinely worried that he's gone soft."

Rerecorded classic set to air as part of Audi commercial during the Super Bowl.

By Fred Mills

Time was, a cool band letting their music be used in a commercial was considered selling out to THE MAN, but no longer - it's called "alternate revenue streams" nowadays, and in truth, the music industry is such a stacked deck anyway, nobody should begrudge and artist for trying to find a way to survive financially.

And here's one such placement we can get behind: the mighty Cheap Trick went back into the studio to redo their classic anthem  "Dream Police" and renamed it "Green Police".

This new version will be featured in the Audi A3 TDI clean diesel Super Bowl commercial, and you can already view a clip at the Audi Facebook page. We won't spoil the news, but it's a pretty damn clever video, and the redone Trick song playing in the background is icing on the cake. What's more, you can become a fan at the Audi page and nab a free MP3 of the "new" Cheap Trick song.

Now that's some green advice from your friendly neighborhood BLURT.

You want some Latin Boogaloo? We got some Latin boogaloo for ya. Free MP3 + promo video clip, below.

By Blurt Staff

A deluxe 2-disc, 34-track box set of the father of Latin Boogaloo, Joe Cuba, is en route from Fania Records on Feb. 23 - it's to commemorate the passing, one year ago, of the legendary bandleader and master conga player.   A Man and His Music - El Alcalde Del Barrio collects a slew of recordings never previously compiled in album form along with massive hits like "Bang Bang" and "El Pito (I'll Never Go Back to Georgia)." 

Free MP3: "Bang Bang"

The career-spanning collection was selected and researched by Latin music veteran and prominent producer Bobby Marín, and the tracks have been digitally remastered from the original master tapes. The deluxe set includes a 32-page booklet with extensive liner notes in English and Spanish written byMarín, never-seen photos, and the album covers of Cuba's great recordings. The set joins The Man and His Music series that has featured such artists as Tito Rodríguez, Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe, Willie Colón, and Rubén Blades, all on the Fania label, whose catalog Código Music recently acquired. Joe Cuba: The Man and His Music is the second release in this series from Código Music.

The backstory:

Joe Cuba's music embodied a perfect balance of sounds and lyrics (both in English and Spanish) that appealed to both Anglo listeners as well as his core Latin devotees.  After listening to songs like "Swinging Mambo" you can hear how the "mayor of the barrio" infiltrated into the Jewish and Italian markets in New York and eventually nationwide.  As architect of the Joe Cuba sound, Joe was adept at creating pure excitement in all of his 240 recorded titles.  Few entertainers can claim to have performed at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater, Hollywood Palladium, Madison Square Garden, and the Caribbean Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair, but Joe certainly could.

Joe Cuba (Gilberto Navarro) was born on April 22, 1931, in Spanish Harlem, New York City, where his Puerto Rican parents moved in the late ‘20's. Captivated by the conga playing of Sabu Martínez, Gilbert took the opportunity to learn the instrument while recovering from a broken leg suffered playing stickball. Gilbert jammed in the street until given the chance to replace Sabu for a few months as part of a local band, La Alfarona, X in 1950.  Shortly after, he joined Spanish Harlem's Joe Panama Quintet, where Jimmy Sabater was a timbales player. After recruiting vibraphonist Tommy Berrios, Gilbert and the band had a falling out with Panama and formed the Cha Cha Boys with Gilbert Calderón as the bandleader. Much to his surprise, Gilbert would soon be billed as "Joe Cuba" by his promoter, Catalino Rolón, and the name would stick.

A generation of Latinos growing up in Spanish Harlem in the 1960's were influenced by their parents more traditional musical tastes, but adapted and combined it with the R&B and Bebop of the time to create their own unique style, which became known as Boogaloo.  Joe Cuba was instrumental in the development of boogaloo and had the biggest hit of the 60s with "Bang Bang," which achieved unprecedented success for Latin music in the US in 1966 when it sold over one million copies.  Joe's pivotal role in the boogaloo style had him nicknamed the "Father of Latin Boogaloo," and his leadership in the community had him coined rightfully so, "the mayor of the barrio" (El Alcalde Del Barrio).

Incidentally, coming up next week and the week after are three unique record release parties in San Francisco, Los Angeles and NYC:

2/11 - SF Record Release Party at the Elbo Room featuring Chico Mann performing live Joe Cuba songs.

2/12 - LA Record Release Party at the Mint featuring Chico Mann and The Boogaloo Assassins performing live Joe Cuba songs.

2/24 - NYC Record Release Party - Full Details tba.

Album Artwork (above) Features Photographs of The Large Hadron Collider at CERN (Switzerland), The Largest Machine in the World.(What the heck is a Hadron Collider?!?) Band Features Nels Cline, Scott Amendola & Devin Hoff, While Live Guests Ono Bonus Album Include David Witham, Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), John Dieterich (Deerhoof) & Satomi Matsuzaki (Deerhoof).

By Blurt Staff

The concept of duality has been a defining characteristic of guitarist Nels Cline since he first emerged in the late 1970s. On one hand, there's the harmonically sophisticated, compositionally rich Nels Cline who contributed to jazz recordings by everyone from Tim Berne to Vinny Golia to Julius Hemphill. On the other, there's the more extreme, visceral Nels Cline, who brought unbridled power and reckless abandon to the post-punk, alternative rock of Mike Watt, Thurston Moore, and The Geraldine Fibbers. Thirty years on, Cline continues to explore this dichotomy, whether it's in his role as lead guitarist for famed rockers Wilco or with The Nels Cline Singers, his flagship group for the last ten years. Initiate, the Singers' fourth release, approaches the concept of Yin and Yang with a series of firsts for both the group and its leader.

It's due April 13 on Cryptogramophone Records and comes with a bonus 70-minute live disc taken from a September 2009 performance at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco, the Singers' first live album.

The differences between the two discs are as stunning as they are revealingly demonstrative of the shared language that Cline, bassist Devin Hoff and drummer Scott Amendola have built over the years. The studio disc, described by producer David Breskin (Ronald Shannon Jackson, Bill Frisell, John Zorn) as "technicolor, non-naturalistic, hyper-sensuous," explores a variety of musical touchstones that have been an integral part of Cline's DNA from the very beginning but are, in some ways, making their first overt appearances just now. The live disc, contrarily, is "stark, raw, a black-and-white movie,"?-?an incendiary ‘what you see is what you get' document. Here the Singers perform material dating as far back as the episodic avant-bop of "Sunken Song" (from Cline's 2000 Cryptogramophone debut, The Inkling) to the most recent "Thurston County" (from the guitarist's 2009 solo album, Coward) which, with Hoff and Amendola in tow this time, turns into a far more jagged and fiery tribute to the guitarist's occasional co-conspirator Moore.

Initiate is also the first Singers album not recorded and produced by the longstanding Crypto team of engineer Rich Breen and producer/label head Jeff Gauthier. Engineer Ron Saint Germain (Bad Brains, Ornette Coleman, Soundgarden) brings something different to the table, especially on the studio disc, where Cline indulges himself in a program as close to sheer beauty as any he's ever done. The Singers go early-‘70s Miles on the groove-centric "Floored," then revel in the delicately lush ambience of "You Noticed," where Hoff delivers the most lyrical contrabass solo of his career. "King Queen," with guest organist David Witham, cops an early-Santana vibe and Cline's Afrobeat vernacular turns it into a vehicle for his most passionate, soaring guitar solo of the disc. "Divining" features Amendola's mbira, wordless vocals (yet another first: the Singers sing) and Cline's softly strummed guitar gradually assuming more grit and grist, while "Grow Closer" turns to Egberto Gismonti and the rainforests of Brazil, all refracted through the Singers' unique prism.

This is not to suggest that the extremes so endemic to Cline and the Singers are missing from Initiate's studio disc. Even the relentless build to a thundering climax on "Mercy (Procession)," reflecting Cline's recent preoccupation with the passing of keyboardist and composer Joe Zawinul, starts with a gentle whisper. And Cline's command of color - combined with Amendola's excursions into the electronic and Hoff's electric bass (another first) - has never been more comprehensive, bookending the disc with "Into It" and "Into It (You Turn)," two tracks of textural richness utterly new in the Singers' repertoire.

The live disc has its share of firsts, too. In addition to four tracks culled from The Inkling, Coward and the Singers' heralded 2004 release, The Giant Pin, Cline contributes two new tunes. The head-banging pulse of "Raze" is an ear-shattering context for Cline to go places few guitarists are bold enough to go, while "Forge" revolves around a brooding electric arpeggio that builds with absolute inevitability: Amendola's turbulent kit work, Hoff's throbbing low end and Cline's Hendrixian extremes turn it into the sonic equivalent of the Large Hadron Collider's proton-smashing harnessing of 1.18 trillion electron volts.

Nor do the Singers deny their jazz roots, with an expanded version of The Giant Pin's "Blues, Too" paying angular tribute to the great Jim Hall. It may only swing for a nanosecond but, with its largely acoustic bent, it's the Yang to the Yin of "Raze," further proof of this group's encyclopedic range.

Cline's choice of two covers for the live set are the last in this long series of firsts for the Singers on Initiate. Carla Bley's "And Now the Queen"-a rarely heard track only recorded, in fact, by pianist Paul Bley-provides a soft, open-ended, pensive interlude after the assaulting triptych which begins the concert. And the lengthy closer (Zawinul's Weather Report classic, "Boogie Woogie Waltz") reveals Initiate's Apollonian / Dionysian dichotomy in all its richness. As funky as the Singers have ever been, and undeniably reverent to Zawinul's definitive voicings, Cline dispenses with any perceived guitaristic limitations, creating a personal tribute to the late keyboardist that's reflective of Zawinul's distinct orchestral sense.

Initiate is an album of inner and external reflection, a consolidation of the old, the new and the what may well be. What you have here is the definitive Nels Cline Singers set, one that decimates convention and plays off of-just as it unites-opposing forces, emotions, instincts: smashing dualities. 1.18 trillion electron volts and counting.

Ah. So THAT's what a Hadron Collider's all about: rock ‘n' roll!

Former Thee Hypnotic/Black Moses frontman returns with another hotwired combo; prepping to bum-rush SXSW. Check out the video, below.

By Fred Mills

A few years ago I was in Austin at SXSW taking a leak in the men's room of one of the rock dives, and as I zipped up and started to turn to leave I vaguely recognized the gentleman standing at the pisser next to me. Sonofabitch - it's Jim Jones, it dawned on me, with whom I'd shared a very drunken evening back in the late ‘80s when he brought his band at the time, Thee Hypnotics, to town.

He remembered me and greeted me like a proper mate, which sometimes happens when a musician runs into a journalist who has had many a favorable thing to say over the years (and I wrote often and enthusiastically about Thee Hypnotics, let me tell ya - their brand of Stooges-spawned psychedelic overdrive, proto-stoner rock of a sort, was pretty awesome). But his pleasure was genuine, and as it turned out his new band, Black Moses, was about to play shortly, so I got a chance to be knocked outta my socks, sonically speaking, all over again.

Now word arrives that Jones has yet another combo, this time the economically-naked The Jim Jones Revue. They've been described as a "London powerhouse quintet [like] James Brown fronting the MC5 with Little Richard guesting on piano." Well, boy howdy to that. They've already been given the thumbs-up from the likes of MOJO and Record Collector for their self-titled debut and singles collection Here to Save Your Soul, and they've toured heavily, including opening for the Dead Weather in Europe after Jack White personally invited them. Among the band's other high profile fans: Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, and Mick Jones.

You can check out some tunes and videos at the group's YouTube page here - "Elemental" and "Hey Hey Hey Hey" will do quite nicely, ladies. Little Richard, indeed.

The Jim Jones Revue is about to go into Assault & Battery 2 Studio to record a new platter, with Bad Seeds man Jim Sclavunos producing, and then they're off to the 2010 edition of SXSW, so needless to say yours truly will be queueing up in Austin to get a fresh dose of the man's music.

Don't worry, Jim, I'll let you finish your business in the loo before walking up to shake your hand this year.

Psychedelic theater rains down on the Paradise Rock Club on Jan. 27.

By Wyndham Lewis

The toughest thing about reviewing an Of Montreal performance is not describing the psychedelic pop nugget-ry they mine, or the theatricality they have consistently built on during the past decade, and it certainly isn't counting the articles of clothing frontman Kevin Barnes is wearing by the encore (one; x-small); the most difficult part of telling you what went down at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on Thursday night is the spelling the goddamn song titles.

The band kicked off the action with the straightforwardly named Suffer for Fashion, a song that, when released in 2007, signaled completion of the bands evolution into treble-y synth/guitar rock.  Coupled with Barnes high whine and penchant for vocal effects, the thin sound and personal songwriting earned high praise and a legion of fans, along with an army of detractors.  On this night, the opening number perfectly illustrated how the bands constant touring has forged a supremely confident front-man backed by a band that has realized much fuller, and heavier live sound. 

It has been interesting to watch the progression of this band that used to feel a bit contrived, like a boys and girls playing rock star in the bedroom, but now feels like it has genuine personality and charisma.  What used to seem like weird for weird's sake, or an attempt to upset or shock their high school tormentors now seems like a well harnessed vision with the musical chops to match.

As a performer and writer, Barnes continues to up the sexual ante on stage and record.  For a long time, he seemed to be held up in a sort of visual purgatory, having neither the purposefully grotesque physicality of Arthur Kane or Tim Harrington (in tutu) nor the raw sexuality/beauty of Prince or Bowie.  Historically, he looked like the component parts of a guy wearing make-up and some woman's clothing.  This time was different.  He has really developed into the cocksure leader that embodies the whole package and commands (not asks for) the audience's attention.

Barnes donned a lime green wrap cardigan, matching head-band, white tank-top, gold medallion and a Bloomingdale counter's worth of eye make-up, but for his beard, he would have looked at home dropping his kids off at Country Day with the neighborhood moms. 

Early in the set, there were no breaks between songs, and as they crested into Forecast Fascist Future the stage-to-ceiling split screen showed song-specific animation and images shot in real time from a handheld camera.   Much of the screen time was dedicated to images that literally illustrated lyrics, including fox heads with rotating crab-claws. It all played out like a trippy revue.  

Given the theatrical elements, it is safe to call Of Montreal equal parts band and troupe.  The band is relatively conventional - bass, drums, keys, guitars - but there are multiple people pulling double and triple duty as techs/dancers/characters.  It is hard to tell who is doing what, but it is obviously not for the audience to know how Of Montreal's 'sausage' is made. 

The young, enthusiastic crowd was, at times, rapt by dueling Medusas, pigs and tigers in cream colored suits, carrying cock-fighters in black body stockings and bejeweled fencing masks. Making for colorful theater as the screen pumped out more Fat Albert meets Uncle Albert style images.

The music and stage show were neither at war, nor in lock-step.  But, at no point do the absurdities on stage detract from the extremely well crafted, well delivered songs.  An Eluardian Instance, Spike the Senses and And I've Seen a Bloody Shadow groove strongly.  Helmsgate is Like a Promethian Curse is reworked into a more muscular, pulsating song that turns the plea for help from the record into a conquered demon live.   A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger took the titillated crowd from head nodding to full on dance party.

Barnes' lime green wrap served as a green screen as well when visual effects were projected onto it on the large screen.  Like many of his props, it too is eventually shed as he made his transition from semi-androgynous tease to full on Prince Jr. mode with St. Exquisite's Confession and For Our Elegant Castle during which he delivers the playfully coy-boy chorus 'I like it both ways.'

The encore was the cherry on top.  From the introductory bass line of the Jackson 5 cover I Want You Back the crowd was shaking serious ass and its deferential treatment allowed the exuberance of the song to speak for itself.  The crowd left happy and fully entertained.

James Husband (aka Of Montreal drummer Jamie Huggins) opened the evening with a solid set culled from his recent solo record A Parallax I.  Husband, who resembles a young Eddie Money, has sat behind Kevin Barnes for more than half a decade now and they obviously share (with the entire Elephant 6 collective) a love of sixties pop.

On songs like While the Boys Went Down Under and Elephant Alibi, Husband tones down the production flourishes and exotic instrumentation that sometimes confuse a perfectly good melody from some of his E6 brethren (Of Montreal, Great Lakes, Elf power, etc...).  His recent covers EP contains multiple Guided by Voices tunes and that along with Love's Forever Changes is where his musical style seems rooted.  Find a great riff, A Grave in the Gravel, don't fuck it up, and move on to the next.

Husband benefited from an unusually full house for an opener due to a freezing cold night and the headliners' devoted college-age fan base.  He was well received, but in retrospect, his limitations as a singer and showman were brought into sharp contrast by evening's main attraction. 

To his credit, the band (nearly half of Of Montreal) was tight and enjoyable.  But they would have been well served to begin as upbeat and engaged as they ended.  The early part of the set was marked by too much inter-band discussion and not enough playing to the audience.  Kevin Barnes saw the back of Jamie for a change as he guested on drums mid-set.  That broke the monotony and early introspection, seemingly waking the band up to finish strongly.  

[Photo credit: Leó Stefánsson]

Latest effort from the shapeshifting Lidell due in May.

By Blurt Staff

Warp Records will release Jamie Lidell's third full-length album Compass on May 18. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, New York and Canada. Guests on Compass include Beck, Feist, Gonzales, Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear and Pat Sansone of Wilco.

Warp calls it his "most eclectic album yet. Songs shift, chop, change and mutate genres and forms before our very ears. It's got funk in spades; the jaw-dropping power of the vocals is stronger than ever; it rocks, it pops, it's sweet, angry, hard, soulful and soft, often within the span of a single track. It's the restless album that finally matches the soul of its creator."

Sessions began at Beck's Hudson Studios in Los Angeles, where they got together with Wilco, Leslie Feist and veteran drummer James Gadson (who's hit sticks for Bill Withers, Quincy Jones among many others) for Beck's Record Club project. Inspired by the chemistry of those jams, they shifted to the legendary Ocean Way Studios. There, they were joined by producer/keyboardist Brian Lebarton, singer Nikka Costa, and Justin Stanley. All would have an important impact on the album. Pat Sansone from Wilco and Chilly Gonzales (who's played on both Multiply and Jim) were present as "musical meta-spirits," recording their parts remotely and delivering them via the internet.

Back in New York Lidell began to make sense of this (in his words) "great big mess on the hard drive."Then it was up to Feist's ranch in the Niagara Escarpment with Chris Taylor, producer and member of Grizzly Bear.

"I wrote every song in a month," Lidells said. "It's been an emotional couple of years, so I tapped into what I wanted to say and started writing. There was a lot to draw on."

Lidell plans to tour 2010 with a band again - "but stripping it back; keeping it lean."

Creates LP art for soulsters Kings Go Forth; MP3 below.

By Fred Mills

A few years ago, when BLURT was a little ol' rock magazine called Harp, we ran a story about the so-called "imaginary soul superstar" Mingering Mike, a kind of outsider artist from D.C. who for years had created hand-drawn record sleeves for his non-existent back catalog - that is, as the "performer" Mingering Mike he'd "released" a slew of soul and funk albums and singles over the years, as "evidenced" by the extant artwork.

There never was any actual music, of course, but the sleeves themselves were a prime example of classic outsider art that, upon being discovered at a flew market in 2003 by a curious crate digger, wound up getting compiled in a Mingering Mike book and displayed in art galleries.

Neil Strauss of the New York Times told the story of Mingering Mike in a wonderful 2004 piece - check it out here. It's pretty fascinating. The book's readily available at Amazon as well.

Now comes news that Mingering Mike has created his first "real" sleeve art for the Milwaukee soul combo Kings Go Forth. It's displayed above. Titled The Outsiders Are Back, the album is due April 20 from Luaka Bop. Oliver Wang's esteemed Soul-Sides.com blog has some further details on the band and Mike here.

Meanwhile, check out this smoking MP3 from the band in which they channel their inner Curtis Mayfield: "One Day"

(Above photo of Mingering Mike from Toolbox DC. You can read more from ‘em here.)

Legendary jam band announces series of residencies for this summer; hasn't toured in three years.

By Blurt Staff

The String Cheese Incident will perform a handful of "Incidents" in 2010. The band will play their hometown venue, Denver's Red Rocks Amphitheatre, on July 23, 24, and 25.  In addition they'll set up camp at a site close to the band's/fans' hearts, Horning's Hideout (near Portland, Oregon), July 29 through August 1.

This announcement ends a three-year break from performing; a hiatus interrupted only once - this past summer- when SCI united to headline Rothbury for one incredible Incident.  (Fans can download that 2009 performance in its entirety at www.iClips.net, or check out a sneak peek at www.stringcheeseincident.com).

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, Feb. 9 - see details below. Every ticket order placed at www.stringcheeseincident.com will receive a download code to LiveCheese.com for a FREE "Best of" SCI sampler - "Cheese on the Rocks" (RR) and/or "Cheese in the Trees" (HH) - depending on the tickets purchased. Each download features over 100-minutes of old-school SCI.

July 23, 24, and 25, 2010

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Morrison, Colorado

Red Rocks Ticket Information:

Tuesday, February 9 at 10:00 am MST - Presale at www.stringcheeseincident.com

Friday, February 12 at 10:00 am MST - KBCO Presale at www.kbco.com

Saturday, February 13 at 10:00 am MST - Public On Sale www.ticketmaster.com

***

July 29 - August 1, 2010

Horning's Hideout

North Plains, OR

Full Festival Line Up and Schedule To Be Announced

Presented by Madison House Presents

Horning's Hideout Ticket Information:

Tickets available beginning Tuesday, February 9 at 10:00 am MST

Only at www.stringcheeseincident.com

            Four- day tickets and RV Passes available.

[Photo Credit: C. Taylor Crothers]

Spring dates in Europe now bumped to September and October.

By Blurt Staff

Leonard Cohen was about to embark upon a European tour next month but now dates are being rescheduled for September following a lower back injury the bard sustained recently while exercising. His promoters, AEG Worldwide, described it as "a compression injury."

He'll be taking time off to do physical therapy and get back into full fighting form - which, as anyone who's seen him do his nearly three-hour concerts recently will attest, is impressive indeed for a 75 year old.

Cohen manager Robert Kory said, in a statement, "Doctors have confirmed that Mr. Cohen is otherwise in terrific shape, thanks to years of exercise and careful diet, and simply needs appropriate time to recover from the lower back injury."

Cohen also had an incident last September when he collapsed onstage in Spain, apparently from a case of food poisoning.

Those rescheduled dates:

9-15 Caen, France - Zenith
9-17 Grenoble, France - Palais des Sports
9-19 Strasbourg, France - Zenith
9-21 Marseille, France - Le Dome
9-23 Tours, France - Parc Des Expositions
9-25 Lille, France - Zenith Grand Palais
10-04 Katowice, Poland - Spodek
10-07 Moscow, Russia - Kremlin Palace
10-13 Bratislava, Slovakia - Sibamac Arena

Lots of goodies for all you collectors.

By Blurt Staff

The next installment in the reissue of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds entire studio album catalogue is on the horizon. Digitally re-mastered and remixed for 5.1 Surround Sound for the first time since their original release, Tender Prey, The Good Son and Henry's Dream (their fifth, sixth and seventh albums) will come out March 30^th on Mute, each as a separate deluxe double-disc collectors edition.

Each deluxe edition contains the re-mastered stereo album, the new surround mix, a specially commissioned short film by UK artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard plus the b-sides from the singles, videos and exclusive sleeve notes.  See track listings, below.

Last year, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds first four consecutive albums in the re-mastered deluxe edition series appeared: From Her to Eternity, The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks, and Your Funeral...My Trial.

Tender Prey

1.     The Mercy Seat

2.     Up Jumped The Devil

3.     Deanna

4.     Watching Alice

5.     Mercy

6.     City Of Refuge

7.     Slowly Goes The Night

8.     Sunday's Slave

9.     Sugar, Sugar, Sugar

10.   New Morning

Collectors Edition extras

Album in 5:1 

Extra tracks

The Mercy Seat (Video version)
Girl at the Bottom of my Glass

The Mercy Seat (Acoustic version)

City of Refuge (Acoustic version)

Deanna (Acoustic version)

Videos: - also available for download to MP3/Ipod

Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 5)

The Mercy Seat

Deanna

Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 5:Tender Prey directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard)

The Good Son 

1.     Foi Na Cruz

2.     The Good Son

3.     Sorrow's Child

4.     The Weeping Song

5.     The Ship Song

6.     The Hammer Song

7.     Lament

8.     The Witness Song

9.     Lucy

Collectors Edition extras

Album in 5:1

Extra tracks

The Train Song

Cocks 'n' Asses

Helpless

Videos: - also available for download to MP3/Ipod

Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 6)

The Weeping Song

The Ship Song

Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 6: The Good Son) directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard)

Henry's Dream

1.     Papa Won't Leave You, Henry

2.     I Had A Dream, Joe

3.     Straight To You

4.     Brother, My Cup Is Empty

5.     Christina the Astonishing

6.     When I First Came To Town

7.     John Finn's Wife

8.     Loom Of The Land

9.     Jack The Ripper

Collector's Edition extras

Album in 5:1

Extra tracks

Blue Bird

Jack The Ripper (Acoustic version)

I Had a Dream Joe (Live)

The Good Son (Live)

The Mercy Seat (Live)

The Carny (Live)

The Ship Song (Live)

Videos: - also available for download to MP3 / iPod

Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 7)

I Had a Dream, Joe

Straight to You

Jack the Ripper (Acoustic Version)

Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 7: Henry's Dream), directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard 

Our resident indiephilosopher takes a good hard look (listen) to the Brooklyn buzzband's sophomore effort and doesn't exactly like what she finds. International tour starts today; dates listed below.

BY JENNIFER KELLY

Yeasayer, naysayer... this album blows.

Yeasayer, the Brooklyn ethno-trance-dance celebrants, caught a wave set in motion by Animal Collective in 2007, releasing All Hour Cymbals to unequivocal praise. MTV called them "One of Seven Bands at SXSW That Matter."  Pitchfork gave them a 7.8. Entourage ran "Sunrise" over its closing credits. Beck offered an opening slot. And all this for an album released on tiny We Are Free label.

Odd Blood, the second album, looks to be the band's bid for a commercial killing, released on a bigger label (Secretly Canadian) with simpler, more accessible songs and far, far cleaner production. But unfortunately, clarity is not working in Yeasayer's favor. Getting a good listen to Odd Blood is the music world's version of waking up in bed with someone who is not as good looking as you thought, not good looking at all in fact, and possibly not even of the opposite sex. What were you thinking?

The disc starts out okay, with the clank and distortion of "The Children," a mic-altered thread of narrative running through African polyrhythms and vast synthetic spaces. It's the fuzziest, foggiest, hardest-to-hear of all these tracks and also one of the most bearable.  When you clean this stuff up, there's not much to look at. Early single "Amblin' Alp" has been scrubbed and disinfected to within an inch of its life, and maybe beyond. "You must stick up for yourself, son, never mind what anybody else done," sings Chris Keating, celebrating individuality in a track that is, ironically, almost entirely devoid of personality or soul.

It gets worse with the two "ONE" cuts that straddle the middle of the album. They're the kind of faux funky, disco sterilities that you might mostly associate with bands that dress in uniforms and have cute hair and get covered in Tigerbeat. It's a break-up song performed in the kind of smarmy, self-absorbed tenor that goes down well with tweener girls, embellished at intervals with sugary R&B pop falsettos. And damn, you get through it once and there it is again, in a remixed version that is just as false and inhuman as the first.

You have to wonder whether Yeasayer thought that this kind of vacuum-sterile production and asexual white boy funk actually sounded good or just might increase their changes for mass success. (Either way, how depressing!)  If you ever wondered what it would sound like if Phil Collins brought in the Back Street Boys for a song on the Tarzan soundtrack, here's your answer. Not good, my friends, not good.

TOUR DATES:

Feb 8 2010      8:00P
    Bowery Ballroom    New York, New York
Feb 9 2010     8:00P
    Music Hall of Williamsburg    Brooklyn, New York
Feb 16 2010     8:00P
    Academy 2    Birmingham
Feb 17 2010     8:00P
    Oran Mor    Glasgow
Feb 19 2010     8:00P
    Academy    Dublin
Feb 20 2010     8:00P
    Speakeasy    Belfast
Feb 21 2010     8:00P
    Academy 3    Manchester
Feb 22 2010     8:00P
    The Faversham    Leeds
Feb 23 2010     8:00P
    Heaven (NME Show)    London
Feb 25 2010     8:00P
    Thekla    Bristol
Feb 26 2010     8:00P
    Digital    Brighton
Feb 28 2010     8:00P
    Luxor    Koln
Mar 1 2010     8:00P
    Trix Club    Antwerp
Mar 4 2010     8:00P
    KB    Malmo
Mar 5 2010     8:00P
    Debaser    Stockholm
Mar 6 2010     8:00P
    Rockerfeller    Oslo
Mar 8 2010     8:00P
    Vega Small Hall    Copenhagen
Mar 9 2010     8:00P
    Knust    Hamburg
Mar 10 2010     8:00P
    Postbahnhof    Berlin
Mar 11 2010     8:00P
    59/1    Munich
Mar 12 2010     8:00P
    Zukunft    Zurich
Mar 13 2010     8:00P
    Circolo Degli Artisti    Rome
Mar 15 2010     8:00P
    Tunnel    Milan
Mar 17 2010     8:00P
    Moby Dick    Madrid
Mar 19 2010     8:00P
    Point FMR    Paris
Mar 20 2010     8:00P
    Paradiso    Amsterdam
Apr 3 2010     8:00P
    9:30 Club    Washington, Washington DC
Apr 4 2010     8:00P
    Cat's Cradle    Carrboro, North Carolina
Apr 5 2010     8:00P
    Orange Peel    Asheville, North Carolina
Apr 6 2010     8:00P
    Masquerade    Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 7 2010     8:00P
    Hi Tone Cafe    Memphis, Tennessee
Apr 8 2010     8:00P
    Granada Theatre    Dallas, Texas
Apr 9 2010     8:00P
    House of Blues Houston    Houston, Texas
Apr 10 2010     8:00P
    The Parish    Austin, Texas
Apr 11 2010     8:00P
    The Parish    Austin, Texas
Apr 13 2010     8:00P
    The Crowley Theatre    Marfa, Texas
Apr 14 2010     8:00P
    Club Congress    Tucson, Arizona
Apr 15 2010     8:00P
    Rhythm Room    Phoenix, Arizona
Apr 17 2010     8:00P
    The Fillmore Auditorium    San Francisco, California
Apr 19 2010     8:00P
    Wonder Ballroom    Portland, Oregon
Apr 20 2010     8:00P
    Neumos    Seattle, Washington
Apr 21 2010     8:00P
    Commodore Ballroom    Vancouver, British Columbia
Apr 23 2010     8:00P
    In The Venue    Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 24 2010     8:00P
    Bluebird Theatre    Denver, Colorado
Apr 25 2010     8:00P
    Waiting Room    Omaha, Nebraska
Apr 26 2010     8:00P
    Gargoyle Club    Saint Louis, Missouri
Apr 27 2010     8:00P
    First Avenue    Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 28 2010     8:00P
    Majestic Theatre    Madison, Wisconsin
Apr 29 2010     8:00P
    Metro    Chicago, Illinois
Apr 30 2010     8:00P
    Grog Shop    Cleveland, Ohio
May 1 2010     8:00P
    Lee's Palace    Toronto, Ontario
May 2 2010     8:00P
    La Sala Rossa    Montreal, Quebec
May 3 2010     8:00P
    Paradise    Boston, Massachusetts
May 4 2010     8:00P
    Webster Hall    New York, New York
May 5 2010     8:00P
    The Trocadero    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Royal Trux's Jennifer Herrema also guests on the album.

By Blurt Staff

Congratulations, the new studio album from MGMT, will be released on April 13 on Columbia. It's the successor to 2008's Oracular Spectacular.

Congratulations is described as "a collection of nine individual musical tours de force sequenced to flow with sonic and thematic coherence."

The tracks are:  "It's Working," "Song for Dan Treacy," "Someone's Missing," "Flash Delirium," "I Found a Whistle," "Siberian Breaks," "Brian Eno," "Lady Dada's Nightmare," and "Congratulations."

Hey, we are all about tours de force and songs titled after Brian Eno.

Produced by MGMT and Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, E.A.R., Spectrum), Congratulations was recorded throughout 2009 in upstate New York, Malibu, and Brooklyn and features Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, MGMT's core duo, performing with Matt Asti (bass, backing vocals), Will Berman (drums, backing vocals), and James Richardson (guitar, backing vocals), the band's live line-up.

Congratulations offered MGMT the opportunity to work with a couple of their musical idols and influences including album co-producer Sonic Boom (Pete Kember) and Royal Trux front-woman Jennifer Herrema, who contributed guest vocals.  "We've been lucky enough to meet and work with some of our all-time musical heroes," Andrew says, marveling at MGMT's good collaborative karma.  "It's so great to be around such amazing and unusual musical minds."

Ben and Andrew first met Sonic Boom at a Spectrum show in London in February 2009 and wound up onstage jamming with the band on "Suicide," a vintage Spacemen 3 track paying homage to another MGMT influence.

MGMT has become an international festival favorite with performances at South By Southwest, Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo in the states and the Glastonbury extravaganza in the UK.  The band has toured with Beck, Yeasayer and Of Montreal, among others, while becoming a headline concert attraction in its own right.  MGMT is confirmed to appear at the 2010 Coachella and Bamboozle festivals.

It's the news we have been waiting for! To heck with that Bonnaroo announcement, we are booking our flight to England today.

By Blurt Staff

Legendary British pop duo Go West will embark on a rare 11-date UK tour in April 2010. Seriously. We are not kidding about that "legendary" part - time to break out the parachute pants, kids! This is more important than, like, the Pavement reunion.

The duo, of course, is Peter Cox (vocals) and Richard Drummie (guitar), and they are best known for their smash hit singles "We Close Our Eyes" and "Call Me", the UK tour will kick off on Thursday April 8th at the Cheltenham Town Hall. 

Described as "The 25th Anniversary Concert", Go West's tour will see the band perform songs drawn from across their career, including yet more Top Ten singles such as "The King Of Wishful Thinking", "True Colours", "I Wanna Hear It From You" and "The King Is Dead."

April 2010 tour dates include Cheltenam (Apr 8), Lowestoft (Apr 9), Birmingham (Apr 10), Gateshead (Apr 11), Basildon (Apr 15), Chatham (Apr 16), Peterborough (Apr 17), Barrow (Apr 18), Rhyl (Apr 21), London (Apr 23), Milton Keynes (Apr 25 / 26).

To coincide with Go West's nationwide UK tour, the band will release a re-recorded version of their 1985 hit ‘Call Me' coupled with brand new song ‘Skin Deep'. The single will be available as a CD and digital download.

Ballet originally performed in London in 2006 to fairly good reviews.

By Fred Mills

Heading to Toronto anytime soon? Well, not actually soon; more like next November 24-28. But if you are, you should first consult the 2010-11 calendar of the National Ballet of Canada, as among the performances they'll be doing in the new season is Chroma by Britain's Wayne McGregor - a ballet featuring orchestral versions of White Stripes songs. (Thanks to Pitchfork for the tip.)

According to the NBoC's website, choreographer McGregor "revels in the amalgamation of the unlikely," which is a pretty fair description of how most folks would think about a marriage of contemporary ballet and White Stripes music.

"McGregor's multi-disciplinary works emerge from those experimental frontiers where the theoretical merges with the physical, and dance pushes up against and interacts with film, the visual arts, architecture, technology and science. Chroma, from 2006, is a perfect example. Set to a score of orchestrated versions of songs by the rock band The White Stripes, the work pits the angular, rough-edged music and the choreographer's energetic, exacting style against a stark, minimalist architectural space, allowing the audience to see the nature of physical movement in an entirely new and invigorating light."

So there you have it. Apparently the dancers will be performing in "flesh colored dancewear," which is entirely logical (should be white and red dancewear, actually). Although trying to imagine them hoofing it through "The Hardest Button to Button," "Aluminum" and "Blue Orchid" is a head scratcher, but no matter - this is all pretty intriguing news.

The ballet was previously staged in London in November of 2006 at the Royal Opera House and you can read a pretty lively review of it here.

Other shows during the 2010-11 season for the ballet company include relatively standard fare such as Cinderella, The Nutcracker and Don Quixote. Currently they have Swan Lake and West Side Story among the performances slated for the coming months.

John Fogerty, Medeski Martin & Wood, Flaming Lips, Weezer, Dave Matthews Band, Jeff Beck, Avett Brothers, Black Keys, Phoenix and more.... U2 rumors not confirmed yet as of this writing.

By Fred Mills

The waiting is over. We told you about that cryptic announcement announcing the announcement, so here are the details. The 2010 Bonnaroo, which takes place June 10-13 in Manchester, Tenn., officially unveiled this year's lineup in an intriguing fashion that, depending on which fan or pundit you polled, was either very cool or damned annoying. The artists themselves made individual announcements via their own websites and social media platforms, and Bonnaroo additionally sent out clues via their Twitter feed, so you had to bounce around all over the web to actually get confirmations on this or that artist (although, luckily, some media sites were compiling the list themselves and updating it every few minutes as they figured out who else was playing).

Now Bonnaroo has compiled the list of names at its MySpace page, and as we type is doling the announcements out a little at a time.Among the headliners are Weezer, John Fogerty, the Flaming Lips (doing Dark Side of the Moon, natch), Dave Matthews Band, the Avett Brothers, Phoenx and the Black Keys.

But what about those U2 rumors? Ah! We'll have to keep refreshing our browsers all day to find out, apparently!

Lineup as of this writing:

The Flaming Lips w/Stardeath and the White Dwarfs
Weezer
Phoenix
John Fogerty
OK Go
Baroness
The Carolina Chocolate Drops
Jeff Beck
Medeski Martin & Wood
Blues Traveler
Isis
Punch Brothers
Dave Matthews Band
The Avett Brothers
311
Chromeo (w/ Daryl Hall)
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Bassnectar
Neon Indian
Monte Montgomery
The Asterisk
Big Sam's Funky Nation
The Constellations
The Black Keys

Steve Martin w/Steep Canyon Rangers

UPDATE/ADDITIONS:
The xx
Regina Spektor
Wale
Mayer Hawthorne

Ingrid Michaelson

Jay-Z
LCD Soundsystem
Dead Weather
Zac Brown Band
The National
Kris Kristofferson
Melvins
Stevie Wonder
Norah Jones
John Prine
Dave Rawlings
Baaba Maal
Dr. Dog
Kid Cudi
Tokyo Police Club
Japandroids
Jimmy Cliff
Thievery Corporation
She and Him
GWAR

General admission tickets are on sale NOW at the Bonnaroo site for a mere $234.50 plus fees (reaching up to $35 total, yikes). They also have a payment plan. All tickets are 4-day passes that include camping and parking. Hint: the Bonnaroo servers are pretty busy right now, so you might want to wait until tonight to go grab tickets.

[Photo Credit: C. Taylor Crothers]

Seriously, anything is fair game. Not they will be forced to answer "anything," but still.... Here's your chance to find out all those things about Spoon you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.

By The Blurt Editors

Earlier this month Britt Daniel & Co. released its latest album,Transference, on Merge, and a big national tour will be kicking off in mid-March starting with an NPR Music showcase in Austin at SXSW. We've got the tour details here.

Meanwhile, we're offering you a chance to ask Spoon whatever questions you want, kinda like the way those British mags grill a washed-up classic rock personality each month, but way cooler, ‘cos it's Spoon of course. Wanna know how Britt gets his hair so perfect? Where they got the name Spoon from? Who's a Republican and who's a Democrat in the band? Maybe even some lingering queries about the agony and the ecstasy of their old major label nemesis Ron Laffitte? Ask away! The results will be included in a far reaching and sure-to-be entertaining interview at blurt-online.com and the upcoming issue of BLURT.

And if this goes well, maybe our next contest of this ilk will be "Ask Laffitte".... Hey, it could happen...

Email your questions to: askspoon@blurt-online.com

Incidentally, make sure you identify yourself in some way - it doesn't have to be elaborate, but at the very least give your first name and where you are from, e.g.:

Wayne
OKC, Oklahoma

Hey, it's just common courtesy. Internet anonymity is for pussies.

2004 recordings get bolstered with the addition of some brand new ones for Saddle Creek reissue.

By Blurt Staff

Seems that back in 2004 the Crank! Label issued the  One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels mini album, a collaboration between Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova. Now comes word that Bright Eyes' longtime label Saddle Creek is reissuing it in expanded format. It's due March 23 on CD, LP and digital download. The artwork is displayed above. Here are the details, courtesy the label:

 Featuring four new songs in addition to six from the original 2004 Crank! Records release, One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels is less of a split and more of a bona fide collaboration. Dividing the songwriting duties, the original tracks were recorded by Conor Oberst and Jake Bellows in basements of houses on quiet, leafy streets in Omaha in the fall of 2003. Those tracks were mixed, tweaked, and sprinkled with magic dust by famed producer-in-residence Mike Mogis at his Presto! Studios in Lincoln, Nebraska. The groups reconvened in the fall of 2009 to write and record four new tracks at Mogis's renowned ARC Studios in Omaha for the reissue.

Track List:

1. Rollerskating*
2. Happy Accident*
3. Someone's Love*
4. I Know You*
5. Tripped
6. Black Comedy
7. Poison
8. I'll Be Your Friend
9. Get Back
10. Spring Cleaning

*new song featured on this reissue

Recording new live DVD in New Orleans and invoking patronage system to finance it for all you hardcore fans.

By Blurt Staff

On February 28 BLURT fave Theresa Andersson will perform live at New Orleans' Le Petit Theatre with very some very special guests, including the legendary musician, composer and producer Allen Toussaint. The show will be recorded for Theresa's new DVD, "Theresa Andersson: Live at Le Petit," and will feature Theresa's "one-woman band" performing an extended set of old and new music, including some exclusive, never-before-released material. Pre-orders for the DVD are available at the newly-launched TheresaAndersson.com.

In addition to standard DVD pre-orders, Theresa is also offering special "investor packages" for fans who would like to participate in making the DVD a reality. For $500, fans can purchase the Angel Investor Package, which includes two front row tickets to the show at Le Petit, a signed copy of the DVD, a special placement in the DVD liner notes, and a date for two to have a drink with Theresa at Cure, a modern cocktail bar (and one of Theresa's favorites) featuring hand-crafted cocktails and tasty bites. Investors will also receive a Theresa Andersson t-shirt, an exclusive video bundle, and an exclusive MP3 "Oh Mary Don't You Weep." Additional investor packages are available for $100 and $50, and the DVD can be pre-ordered for $20.

We gotta ask, though: what happens if, say, a hundred fans each pony up $500? That's a lot of dates and a lot of drinks... hey, it could happen!

Long-delayed mini-tour of America finally happening, including Coachella stop.

By Blurt Staff

Bad Lieutenant, the project formed in 2007 by New Order's Bernard Sumner (guitar, vocals) and Phil Cunningham (guitar), along with Jake Evans (guitar, vocals), is finally coming to America to play four dates that will include a special appearance at the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival (4/17). Shows in San Francisco (4/16), Chicago (4/19) and New York (4/21) are also now confirmed. Full itinerary is below.

Recall that the band was supposed to come over last fall to support their October-released album  Never Cry Another Tear (Original Signal Recordings) but last minute visa problems deep-sixed the tour. Apparently they've now got their papers in order.

"As promised," said Sumner, "we are coming to the U.S. to play our re-scheduled dates in Chicago and New York with the addition of the Coachella Festival and a concert in San Francisco. We are really looking forward to playing our songs live for our fans in the U.S. It's been some quite time since I have played in America, and we are all very excited about the prospect."

The track "Twist of Fate" is set for worldwide digital release March 23, and sees the band doing what they do best - 21st century guitar music, blending catchy guitar hooks, and pounding bass sitting perfectly with Sumner's familiar, effortless vocal style. The track is already a firm live favorite and shows a more edgy side to the band than the summery, unbridled energy of the band's first single, "Sink or Swim."

Bad Lieutenant has already played a series of concerts in the UK and Europe, and these upcoming U.S. dates will be preceded by a string of concerts in Great Britain.

The core members of Bad Lieutenant - Sumner, Cunningham, and Evans - will be joined on these dates by former Joy Division/New Order drummer Stephen Morris (who also played on the new album) and bassist Tom Chapman. According to Sumner, "The bulk of the set will be Bad Lieutenant songs, but we'll also play some songs from my past, some New Order songs, some Joy Division, and a few other surprises."


.
Tour Dates:

MARCH
15 Leadmill, Sheffield, England
16 Garage, Glasgow, Scotland
18 Electric Ballroom, London, England
20 53 Degrees, Preston, England
21 Masque, Liverpool, England

APRIL
16 Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA - (tickets on sale Sunday, February 14)
17 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio, CA (tickets on sale NOW)
19 Park West, Chicago, IL - (tickets on sale Saturday, February 13)
21 Webster Hall, New York, NY - (tickets on sale Friday, February 12)

Grammy-winning Latin alterna-act gets the musical kudos.

By Blurt Staff

Nacional has inked in March 2 for "A Tribute To Los Fabulosos Cadillacs: Vos Sabes," and before you start rolling your eyes about the arrival of yet another trib, this one promises to be pretty unique - it's already a hit in Argentina and Mexico, which is something you can't say about most tribs, eh?

 It will feature new versions of classic Cadillacs tracks by a variety of leading Latin alternative artists including Colombian music icons Aterciopelados, Argentine rock icon Andres Calamaro, Tijuana's electronica stars Nortec Collective, Puerto Rican reggae masters Cultura Profetica and Venezuelan disco funk rockers Los Amigos Invisibles.

BLURT faves Aterciopelados in particular should make it for a fun listen, and they had some comments on the project. According to lead singer Andrea Echeverri, "Back in 1990, Hector and I had a bar in Bogota called ‘Barbarie' and the song ‘Vasos Vacios' was always playing on the jukebox. The first couple times that we played with the Cadillacs were very memorable, including a riot, attempted arson and zombies throwing themselves at the van. Basically we have quite a past together. Since then, we have toured together and shared hundreds of stages - the "Rock Invasion" tour across the U.S., "Calaveras y Diablitos" tour across Spain, Venezuela and so many other places."

Taking part in the tribute album has special political meaning for Los Amigos Invisibles, a group often known for their light-hearted lyrics. "‘Mal Bicho' is a song that you could hear as often in a soccer game between Caracas-Magallanes in Venezuela as River-Boca in Buenos Aires," says Los Amigos Invisibles bassist Catire Torres. "The lyrics of the song also remind us of Venezuela's current political situation. We can imagine an opposition march singing this song."

The new Cadillacs tribute album coincides with the band's 2009 reunion, which featured an extended world tour that sold one million concert tickets over the past year across the Americas. The Cadillacs also released two albums, including the Grammy-nominated ‘La Luz Del Ritmo,' their first studio release in ten years.

Track Listing:

1. Los Cafres (Argentina) - Vos Sabes
2. Andrés Calamaro (Argentina) - Vasos Vacíos
3. Los Tipitos (Argentina)- Siguiendo La Luna
4. Los Pericos (Argentina) - El Satánico Dr. Cadillac
5. Los Auténticos Decadentes (Argentina) y Los Delinquentes (España) - Demasiada Presión
6. Aterciopelados (Colombia) - Padre Nuestro
7. Kapanga (Argentina) - Nº 2 En Tu Lista
8. No Te Va Gustar (Uruguay) - Basta De Llamarme Así
9. Los Amigos Invisibles (Venezuela) - Mal Bicho
10. Nortec Collective Presents Bostich + Fussible (México) - El León Manuel Santillan
11. Cartel de Santa (México) - El Matador
12. Matamba (Bolivia) - Desapariciones
13. Cultura Profética (Puerto Rico) - Silencio Hospital
14. Cuentos Borgeanos (Argentina) - Calaveras y Diablitos
15. Massacre (Argentina) - Estoy Harto De Verte Con Otros
16. Árbol (Argentina) - Mi Novia Se Cayo En Un Pozo Ciego
17. Dr. Krápula (Colombia) / La Vida

Summarily closes the doors for several blogs that posted unauthorized MP3s.

By Fred Mills

In terms of potentially "overreaching," this one's worth taking notice of, particularly if you are of a DIY/grassroots/egalitarian/open source/etc. mindset. There are also some vexing "practical world" issues going on too that muddy the waters, but regardless it's a bit of news you should take note of and track longterm.

As several media outlets such as Pitchfork and the Daily Swarm reported earlier today, Google has just shut down, without any more-or-less "reasonable" advance notice, several blogs that specialized in posting advance (e.g. "unauthorized") MP3s. Via the Google-owned Blogger.com, sites including Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, I Rock Cleveland, LivingEars, and It's a Rap have been shuttered due to terms of service violations (although Pitchfork notes that Pop Tarts since relaunched elsewhere at a standalone URL and has actually recovered some of their older content that Blogger seemed intent upon obliterating).

Each of the blogs presumably received a similar DMCA takedown notice for "repeatedly violating Blogger's Terms of Service" although as Pop Tarts Suck Toasted was quoted by the Daily Swarm, in the past most blogs typically removed offending content after receiving the takedown notices and no further action was carried out.

That kind of presumption - while I'll characterize as "we took care of it in a speedy, civil manner before and nothing happened" - obviously didn't work out the way the blogs anticipated, as they summarily found their sites and all content deleted. You can't count on things always happening in the future the way they did in the past.

Another blog, We All Want Someone to Shout For reacted with indignation, probably mirroring other blogs' anger and frustration, saying, "Without warning, they just deleted all of these bloggers hard work. These guys have put hours of their lives into their site. This is complete bullshit. How the hell can google get away with just coming in and deleting someone's website? Ok they posted a track that made someone upset. Email them, and ask them to take it down. That would be the end of it. Was it really necessary to delete their site? God damn!!!!"

That blog also created the clever "evil?" logo displayed below. Nice touch, that.

Goddam indeed. In some instances blogs clearly post unauthorized content, so a blog that does so on a regular basis is kinda asking for trouble. Yet there's often a grey area in terms of what technically is and is not "authorized" (follow the links at the Daily Swarm piece to the I Rock Cleveland string and you'll see what I mean). Conversely, while Google/Blogger seems to be acting in pretty heavy-handed fashion, one presumes that their argument might go along lines of not being able to tolerate the infractions due to potential liability issues. That said, sometimes a blanket, by-the-book response isn't the best one when taking things on a case-by-case basis with regular communication between parties often results in a favorable outcome for everyone.

But it's probably a moot point at this stage, since as noted above, some of the blogs are already regrouping at fresh websites not under the purview of Blogger. I'd like to say something along the lines of "more power to the pirates!" but I'll reel that one back in and just tell ‘em to be careful, and good luck.

The rest of you reading this, spread the word, and help the little guys stand up for themselves.

 UPDATE:

Google/Blogger has issued "A quick note about music blog removals" to explain its actions in the context of enforcing its own terms of service at the relate to their DMCA policy.


The memo reads, in part, "When we receive multiple DMCA complaints about the same blog, and have no indication that the offending content is being used in an authorized manner, we will remove the blog. [If it is done in error]  it is imperative that you file a DMCA counter-claim so we know you have the right to the music in question."

Read the entire memo here.

Holdin' steady despite leaving his former band...

By Blurt Staff

As previously announced, Franz Nicolay, the mustachioed multi-instrumentalist,  has decided to leave the Hold Steady and has now outlined some more plans for 2010 which includes solo touring, a new book and a GUIGNOL & MISCHIEF BREW collaboration.

On February 11, he'll release Complicated Gardening Techniques, his collection of short stories, via Julius Singer Press.  He will embark on an east coast solo tour to support the forthcoming book and the release of last years' Major General and St. Sebastian of the Short Stage.  The book can be preordered here or you can pick up a copy from the man himself on tour. 

Nicolay is also part of the gypsy-punk unit, GUIGNOL, who recently recorded Fight Dirty - a collaboration with anarcho-folk hero, MISCHIEF BREW. The CD and vinyl release of the collaboration has been delayed, but fans can now pick up the digital and cassette (with a digital download card) release of the album atthe Cottage Records.  Look for more news on the official release of the collaboration and collaborative touring to come.

 
Tour Dates:

2/19 - Alfred, NY - Alfred University, Knight Club
2/20 - Washington, DC - DC9 (w/ Roman Kuebler of Oranges Band)
2/21 - Charlottesville, VA - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
2/22 - Charlottesville, VA - Guest DJ on WNRN In The Morning
2/22 - Richmond, VA - The Camel
2/23 - Charlottesville, VA - Guest DJ on WTJU Afternoon
2/24 - Baltimore, MD - Otto Bar, (w/ Roman Kuebler of Oranges Band)
2/25 - Philadelphia, PA - Khyber, (w/ Ha Ha Tonka, Peasant)
2/26 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory (Book release party for Complicated
Gardening Techniques; w/ Tim Fite)

 
GUIGNOL On the Road:

3/4 - Boston TBA
3/5 - Bennington, VT - Bennington College
3/6 - Great Barrington, MA - Bat Barn
3/8 - Lowell MA - Live on WUML,

Voices and words from the past...

Ed. note: With the arrival of today's news of erstwhile Hold Steady multiinstrumentalist Franz Nicolay's upcoming book/music tour, let's cast our vision back to just over a year ago when Nicolay sat for the official BLURT grilling. Our esteemed griller as A.D. Amorosi, and as you'll read, at the Nicolay had just released his solo album Major General and, although he was still a member of the Hold Steady, he was clearly laying plans for a busy future.

***

Interview conducted by A.D. Amorosi

Franz Nicolay isn't just another pretty face with a handlebar mustache that happens to play the accordion. (Franz plays the accordion. Not the mustache.) He's the most debonair multi-instrumental Brooklyn-based composer famous for playing tickling ivories for his pals in the frenetic cabaret act The World/Inferno Friendship Society and the equally fevered-but-poppier The Hold Steady. Plus Nicolay's played a bunch with The Dresden Dolls, recently co-founded the Anti-Social Music (an avant-garde composer/performer collective) and become part of the gypsy-klezmer outfit, Guignol. But Nicolay isn't so busy that he can't finish the solo cycle he demo-ed on his show-sold 2007 CD Black Rose Paladins. Nicolay then dropped Major General on Pennsylvania's Fistolo label with Dresden Doll drummer Brian Viglione and pals from Demander, Nanuchka, and World/Inferno assisting.

NICOLAY: I picked up the accordion after my father's German grandfather brought him one from the homeland in the early 50s so grandson could play him polkas and waltzes. As a good child of his times, my dad rebelled - to the point where he sliced the bellows with a butcher knife to keep from going to lessons. To his credit, he kept the thing around, and I picked it up in high school when I got obsessed with (Dylan's) Basement Tapes.

I never really had an opportunity to play the accordion in a band until I joined World/Inferno in 2001. I joined as a keyboard player, but after two rehearsals, I thought, "You know, this is the kind of band that could really use an accordion". They said yes immediately and then I faked it until I could play it for real.

Most bands, I find, don't know that they need an accordion until they hear it on their songs, then they crave it everywhere.

What kind of man does it take to grow my sort of a mustache? One very secure in his self-image. Who'd've guessed Greg Norton was the straight guy in Husker Du? The mistake most hipster-come-latelys to the handlebar scene make is that you can't just grow it, you have to organize your whole wardrobe around it. It doesn't work with Converse. I'm looking at you, Nick Gazin.

My brand of moustache wax is Cowboy Stache Wax from Montana. I had been experimenting with brands for years - regular pomade; Clubman the name brand you could find it in old-school drug stores. The problem with them, for a performer, is that once you started to get hot and sweaty, they'd melt. My then-girlfriend vacationed at her family's ranch in Montana and picked up a tin at this car dealership-slash-saddle store somewhere in the middle of nowhere and brought it back for me to try. I've been ordering it from them online ever since.

There is virtually nothing that I wouldn't do. As the great John Barrymore once said, "A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams." And I've made a life where all my regrets are ones of action, not inaction.

I co-founded Anti-Social Music. No. It's not so doggone anti-social. The idea is that the music we're playing - new chamber music - has a reputation as a room-clearing racket. We thought, metal, free jazz, all this extreme music has lost its cachet as parent- and friend-alienator, what if you showed up at your holiday party and put on Diamanda Galas? Or Xenakis? And, while you're at it, come to our show and have a drink or ten.

Our meetings are productive at the beginning and increasingly less productive as they continue - they tend to trail off toward the end. A good meeting - World/Inferno rehearsals used to be like this too - is more like a scheduled drinking bout with friends you'd just as soon be hanging out with anyway, with the added benefit of you occasionally get some work done. Jean Cook is the most likely to bring cake. Pat Muchmore is the most likely to bring a pint of Jack. Andrea La Rose is the most likely to bring ocarinas in five keys.

I don't have the foggiest idea what the The Hold Steady boys or World Inferno think of my solo stuff. They came to see one show I did in Hoboken while we were making Stay Positive but never said word one about the record. One guy just got stumbling drunk and told my friend he was the most famous guy in her cell phone. Not the most communicative bunch, those boys. Terricloth said he always gets emotional when he hears other people singing his lyrics. Hess said he only wanted to hear "World/Inferno" once through, which I said was sort of the point.

I'm not afraid of losing  the momentum THS garnered in 2008. We took a step back already when Tad got sick in October. But I don't think this will affect THS touring and scheduling in the slightest - I'm small potatoes in that organization. I just told our booking agent to go ahead and assume that I'll tour whenever the Hold Steady is off. It's not like I'm the main story in the Hold Steady novel, you know?

The biggest shock regarding how big Hold Steady was came when I got the text from Tad that we'd be opening for the Rolling Stones. They are one of the small handful of bands that still have that "wow" factor.

I was a strange little child - I grew up in almost complete cultural isolation, in a mountain cabin in New Hampshire with no electricity or plumbing. I really didn't hear pop music until about 1989 or so.

I had cassette series of "Lives of the Great Composers" - narrated biographies interspersed with clips of the greatest hits - that I listened to obsessively, and decided I'd grow up to be a Great Composer, capital G, capital C. I'd cover my ears when my dad put classic rock radio on. "Ow, Dad, this is too loud." "Someday, son, I bet you'll like rock music." "No way, Dad!"

I think you're exaggerating how many opening dates we do, but the reality is, being a full-time musician really means FULL TIME. You gotta keep working. It's a strange lifestyle that operates somewhere at the nexus of art, craft, and factory job. You can be precious about it, but you still gotta show up.

I missed the shows where THS opened for the Get Up Kids. I hear that was a culture clash. I'd have to say the Kings of Leon in London was a difficult band to open for - for a band whose press styled them as straight-outta-the-hills Southern boys they sure had the most rock-star attitude of anyone I've ever dealt with. Their security team - they had a bodyguard for each band member - locked us in our dressing room because "The band needs the stairs". And their front row was all bored models. Not very rock, boys.

I'm not surprised theater festival organizations like the Fringe Festival love us. How many nascent theatrical productions can promise an instant crowd of hundreds of teenagers? On the other hand, though, what do you do with hundreds of drunk teenagers in a seated theatre - they don't always think as hard about that.

I believe Major General me fresh perspectives on what I do with THS and W/IFS. And I don't care if it does or doesn't. And I am being selfish. I think it'll help me blow off some steam. I think it'll keep me from playing live with Inferno, probably, this year, just for scheduling reasons. It's frustrating being sort of the George Harrison of the Hold Steady, especially when it's become such an all-consuming time commitment, so it's already good to have another outlet for my songs, which, let's face it, are not always in the main stream of the Hold Steady river. I may have to count the first THS B-sides collection as a Franz Nicolay record.

I never wake in a cold sweat trying to figure out which of my ideas fit what ensemble. It's usually pretty obvious. And sometimes I can treat it like a project, like, "Ok, time to sit down and write three songs for the new Hold Steady record. Oh, only two make it? OK, let me see if I can re-purpose that one and see if someone else will bite. No song left behind!" In theory, it's ideal to have multiple outlets and die with every (decent) note recorded.

I was a average-to-mediocre baseball player and skiier until I moved to New York. I'll kill you at ping-pong.

Dresden Dolls? We've been friends for an awfully long time - I think I saw their second-ever show in New York, at a cabaret night my friend Professor Jef used to run, for maybe thirty people, then my girlfriend hit on Amanda - or was it vice-versa? - and it was buddies thereafter. We share an aesthetic, musically and sartorially. They're serious and focused people. And I think sometimes it helps them to have a neutral third party as a foil. One time I flew to Paris with them to play one song on one show, a showcase for European promoters - their label boss had happened to see me do the Jacques Brel song "Amsterdam" with them at a coffeeshop at Bennington College, and said, "Bring the accordion guy. I'll pay for it." Same guy who funded the Inferno acapella project, incidentally. I shared a bottle of champagne with their manager and never really got on top of the jetlag.

Viglione is someone I always knew wanted to do a record or six with. He and Yula are the greatest rhythm section that never happened in a regular band. Both of them are among the most extraordinary musicians I've ever met - on any instrument, without obvious effort, and with an unerring generosity and fierce drive for perfection regardless of circumstance. We would watch the Dolls and wonder if Amanda knew what she had in Brian. Still sometimes do.

One singularity I wish someone had on tape was myself, Terricloth, and the Dolls doing Kurt Weill's "Tango Ballad" at Bowery Ballroom five years or so ago. What a performance. Jack and Amanda were born to do that song.

The last book that inspired me to madness was Good Night, Sweet Prince, a biography of John Barrymore by his boon friend, my favorite writer, the fantastically purple Gene Fowler.

The biggest differences sonically and spiritually between Black Rose Paladins and Major General is that Paladins is demos for the record: one-take solo run-throughs of the songs so I'd have something to give the band, and something to sell at the shows. Major General is the proper record. That said, I'm keeping BRP available in digital form because there are a few songs that didn't make it on Major General, and because I'll be touring without a band and maybe people who see that would want to hear the songs done that way.

I knew I wanted to start doing solo shows again - if only so I'd never have to turn down a gig again.

I knew that if I ever did a record my dream band included Brian Viglione and Yula. Jared was kind of the x-factor; I knew him from Demander but I knew his band mates way better, and it wasn't until we did "Jeff Penalty" that I realized the kind of spark he could be. A very strange fellow.

In regard to "Jeff Penalty" - sometimes a great band is about more than who's standing the front of it.

Major General. I knew I had limited time to make a record, and wanted to turn that into a virtue by trying to capture that elusive moment when really talented musicians are just figuring out their part on a song they don't know very well, but before it's really crystallized. We did two day-long rehearsals, a chaotic show at the Brooklyn DIY warehouse Death By Audio, and three days of tracking and feasting - the studio has an apartment upstairs, so we could stay and cook a proper family-style dinner each night. And mostly, we got it.

In the future, Major General will be a signifier - if it's Franz Nicolay, it's just me; if it's Franz and Major General, I'm bringing a band. I can't promise Brian, Jared, and Yula; everyone's got a lot on their plates. But it might be a woodwind quintet. Or barbershop. Don't assume I'm kidding - you should hear my demo for "Two-Handed Handshake".

Everyone always likes the pre-reknown band better, you know, "Oh you like The Hold Steady? Lifter Puller There's always a reason one band succeeds in one way while other bands succeed in others. Nothing ever burns down by itself. Every fire needs a little bit of help.

On "Do We Not Live in Dreams" I think this might be cribbed from Wordsworth. I was on a Brazilian music kick when I wrote this; I was learning all those Jobim chords.

You can be whoever you want to be, sure, but some roles fit better than others. Excess is not excessive when it is conceived in principle. Except when it gets excessive. That's "Confessions of an Ineffective Casanova."

"Note on a Subway Wall" is the saddest story ever told. We will never run into one another on trains.

Dexys Midnight Runners is one of the great underrated bands of their generation. My string parts are my homage to "Celtic Soul Brothers".

Some of these songs were old songs that I rewrote the lyrics to, because as a 31-year-old sometimes you can't sing the lyrics you wrote as a 22-year-old. This one I felt I had to leave alone in deference to the old me who took himself so seriously. You can't get that back, you know?

"This World Is an Open Door" is a reminder to myself. Somebody once said 'I don't get it, what's so special about hardwood floors?" Clearly you've never gone apartment-hunting in New York.

Am I really "Done Singing"? Not ‘til they pry the banjo from my frozen claws.

My last words for 2008? Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?

It's Baby Dee, who was not in the Hold Steady but does have a new solo record incoming. Tour dates below.

By Blurt Staff

Baby Dee's new record Book of Songs for Anne Marie will drop April 20 via Drag City (it was previously scheduled for March). Shortly before that date she'll kick off a major U.S. tour.

Baby Dee is a performance artist, songwriter, classically trained harpist, circus sideshow veteran, and street legend in New York and Europe. Baby Dee was born in 1953 in Cleveland, OH. She spent ten years as music director and organist for a Catholic church in the Bronx before joining the circus as the bilateral hermaphrodite at Coney Island. This landed her a gig as the band leader for performance art group the Bindlestiff Family Circus and a tour with the Kamikaze Freak Show in Europe. After moving back to New York City, she became a fixture in lower Manhattan with a street act on a high-rise tricycle with a concert harp attached to it.

Now THAT was quite a sight even to usually implacable New Yorkers

Last year's Safe Inside The Day dazzled critics across the globe, and as Drag City advises us, "If Safe Inside the Day was about the street she grew up on, Book of Songs for Anne Marie is about Dee all grown up."

Tour Dates:

4/8/10 Philadelphia @World Cafe Live 
4/9/10 Baltimore @ Floristree Baltimore
4/12/10 Montreal @ La Sala Rossa
4/13/10 Toronto @ The Music Gallery
4/14/10 Cleveland @ Cleveland Museum of Art 
4/15/10 Cleveland @ Beachland Ballroom
4/16/10 Chicago @ The Hideout
4/17/10 Cedar Rapids @ CSPS
4/18/10 Dubuque @ Monks Kaffee Pub
4/19/10 Minneapolis @ Cedar Cultural Center
4/20/10 Winnipeg @ West End Cultural Centre
4/23/10 Alberta @ The Big Secret Theatre
4/24/10 Alberta @ The Big Secret Theatre
4/27/10 Vancouver @ Gallery Gachet  
4/28/10 Seattle @ The Triple Door
4/29/10 Portland @ The Woods
4/30/10 San Francisco @ Amnesia
5/1/10 Santa Monica @ McCabes
5/2/10 Phoenix @ Trunk Space
5/3/10 Albuquerque @ Outpost Performance Space
5/5/10 Columbia @ Mojo's
5/6/10 Lexington @ Niles Gallery 
5/7/10 Detroit @ Museum of Contemporary Art

Latest pick of cool emerging artist in our ongoing collaboration with Sonicbids.

By Blurt Staff

Don't change that channel, folks: the BLURT staff put our heads (and ears) together and we have the latest (December 2009) pick for our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Austin's Dirty Dancing.

Multi-instrumentalist Eric Schoen fronted and wrote all the material for his band Electric Pants in Milwaukee, WI, while Lauren Mikus took the lead vocals for her New York project, The Midnight Hours, before they split up and the rest of the members went on to form Vampire Weekend. 

Eventually the two wound up moving to Austin - separately - and  within weeks they found each other at, in their words,  "a crappy, soul-sucking tele-marketing job." In other words, Hell brought them together and allowed this music to be. 

The musical chemistry and tastes were undeniable, so Dirty Dancing formed, and some twenty shows and one album later Dirty Dancing are packing venues and generating 50 to 100 plays a day on MySpace with their passionate and mystifying performances. The self-released Mediocrity Is The Strongest Inevitability continues to do well at all finest digital retailers, so you should check it out - it's a fascinating cross between the Kills and the Velvet Underground, with touches of dark wave and classic Joy Division residing uneasily beside vintage ground zero punk. Someone in the BLURT office heard the group's tunes and described the band as "slinkysexycool... and just a little bit filthy, too," which sounds just about right for a band with the name Dirty Dancing.

We'll have an interview with the band posted to the site shortly. Check out the band's MySpace page for song samples, tour dates and more. And congratulations to Dirty Dancing. 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 ‘08 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

>Our June Best Kept Secret: Wiretree, from Austin

>Our August Best Kept Secret: Bulletproof Vests, from Memphis

>Our November Best Kept Secret: The Vivs, from Boston

>Our January Best Kept Secret: The Public Good, from D.C.

A/K/A escape from L.A. - the sequel!

By Fred Mills

Blurt "co-co-editor" Coco Hames fronts The Ettes - Hames on guitar, Jem Cohen on bass and Poni Silver on drums. Their Greg Cartwright-produced album Do You Want Power arrived in stores last fall, their music was featured in the Drew Barrymore-directed film Whip It, and you bet we've got a big feature on the band in the latest issue of BLURT. You can also read it on the web here.

Meanwhile, the band commences a big European tour next week then upon returning to the states will be headed to Austin for SXSW. Check out the band's MySpace page for music and tour dates.

Prior to leaving town, though, we had Coco send us the latest entry for her BLURT blog, "Look At Life." It's the 17^th installment to date, which officially makes her the most prolific writer we have.

This time around she looks back to her dog days living in L.A., working as a receptionist in a hair salon, running a hipster boutique - and almost taking a job as a nanny. Luckily for her, the latter job didn't come to pass, but it did come back to haunt her in a weird way that's far too complicated to get into here. So we suggest you hotfoot it over to her blog right now and see what she has to say about la-la land, valley girls and more.

We already told you about this two months ago so we'll now update the file for you, dear Blurt readers. The album is slated for April 27 release on Columbia/Legacy. No word yet on that limited edition "peanut butter jar" packaging...

By Fred Mills

"There is only one Raw Power."

Or so a new promo blurb touting the Stooges' incendiary 1973 classic goes. Actually, as most fans know, there are actually TWO Raw Powers: the David Bowie-mixed version originally released on LP, and the 1997 CD reissue that was remixed by Iggy Pop, Danny Kadar and Bruce Dickinson. The latter prompted a moderate degree of head-scratching among fans, for while the Bowie mix always had a weird combination of murk and tinnyness to it, in general most consumers prefer to listen to a record the way it sounded first time around (though a good clean digital remastering is expected).

But by then the arc of the album's mix was already tangled enough, as the Raw Power Wikipedia entry explains: "[In 1972] Pop produced and mixed the album by himself. Unfortunately, Pop's botched first attempt mixed most of the instruments into one stereo channel and the vocals into the other. MainMan [Pop's management company] demanded that the album be remixed, but Pop suddenly refused. When MainMan informed Pop that if the album were not remixed by Bowie, the album would not be released. Pop agreed, but insisted that his own mix for "Search And Destroy" be retained. Due to budgetary constraints, Bowie remixed the other seven songs in a single day in an inexpensive Los Angeles studio."

Anyway, anybody who bought the '97 reissue undoubtedly also had the '73 LP in some format, so it wasn't as if history was being rewritten.

Now, though, Columbia/Legacy is about to hop in the Wayback Machine with a 2-CD reissue on April 13 and a deluxe 3-CD/DVD reissue of the album April 27. Yes, the LP's Bowie mix will be restored. Some details from the label:

Unleashed on an unsupecting public in 1973, Raw Power was a primal scream in the face of the then-prevalent sounds of soft rock and glam.  Now, with the Stooges officially set for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and with Raw Power-era guitarist James Williamson back in the fold for live dates, the time is right for Raw Power to roar again. 

 This 2CD Legacy Edition will feature the original '73 album mix on disc 1, newly remastered by Sony engineer Mark Wilder for ultimate fidelity.  The second disc will feature a previously unreleased 1973 live show in Atlanta plus a pair of unreleased studio outtakes.

The 3CD/DVD Deluxe Edition adds for the third disc Rarities, Outtakes, & Alternates From the Raw Power Era comprising eight outtakes and alternate mixes [including a pair of Iggy's late ‘90s remixes], while the DVD is a 30-minute documentary film The Making of Raw Power. Also included is a reproduction of a Japanese 7" single for "Raw Power" b/w "Search and Destroy," 5"x7" photo prints and a booklet featuring commentary on the band from Henry Rollins, Lou Reed, Joan Jett and Tom Morello.

Will 2010 be The Year of the Stooges, what with the the Rock Hall induction, a full tour, and this timely reissue? Market Penetration, baby!

CD1 (Raw Power):

01 Search and Destroy
02 Gimme Danger
03 Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell
04 Penetration
05 Raw Power
06 I Need Somebody
07 Shake Appeal
08 Death Trip

CD2 (Georgia Peaches):

01 Introduction *
02 Raw Power *
03 Head On *
04 Gimme Danger *
05 Search and Destroy *
06 I Need Somebody *
07 Heavy Liquid *
08 Cock in My Pocket *
09 Open Up and Bleed *
10 Doojiman (outtake) *
11 Head On (CBS Studio rehearsal performance) *

CD3 (Rarities, Outtakes, & Alternates From the Raw Power Era):

01 I'm Hungry (outtake) *
02 I Got a Right (outtake) *
03 I'm Sick of You (outtake)
04 Hey, Peter (out­take) *
05 Shake Appeal (alternate mix version) *
06 Death Trip (alternate mix version) *
07 Gimme Danger (alternate mix from the 1996 Iggy "violent" remixes)
08 Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell (alternate mix from the 1996 Iggy "violent" remixes)

* previously unreleased

Test driving new material and breaking in a new member, the band showed off its stuff on February 1 and 8 at the Middle East Upstairs venue.

By Wyndham Lewis

The Delta Spirit is one of those bands that seeps into your consciousness. Their debut release Ode To Sunshine arrived in early fall 2007 to universally steady reviews, yet by the time the year-end best of lists were written, there they were again and again.

Given the reception of the previous release and high profile opening gigs for the Shins and others, it was surprising to find the Southern California band playing Upstairs at the Middle East in Cambridge (cap. 194) on consecutive Mondays in February. But this tour, a two week circuit of Boston, New York, Philly, Baltimore and DC, was primarily used to test drive new songs and touring guitarist Dave Quon (We Barbarians) prior to hitting SXSW.

The February 1 show in Cambridge was Quon's first with the band and if there were any kinks or jitters, they were well hidden from the sold out audience. Dressed casually, the five members established a playful vibe mixing 'Children' and 'Strange Vine' from 'Ode' with the new tunes 'Bushwick Blues,' White Table,' 'St. Francis' and 'Ransom Man.' The new material is cut from the same cloth as the songs from a few years back, but it seems to have grown incrementally and effortlessly more political and lyrically dense.

That is not to say that these guys were ever frivolous. Their older songs have elements of social commentary, but never at the expense of being catchy, essentially lifting from the Woody Guthrie playbook without robbing the songs of their barroom rock appeal. Bassist Jon Jameson says he and his band mates keep themselves educated on political issues, but they feel they must assess their own actions and advocacy on a personal level before they start demanding activism from others.

Recognizing the band's measured approach to preaching politics, they still had something to say on their recent dates. Debuting songs from their forthcoming (May?) record 'History From Below' singer, guitarist Matt Vasquez etched ZINN into the body of his guitar. Both the album's title and the Guthrie cum Tom Morello guitar decoration, are a nod to 'A People's History of the United States' author and local (Boston) radical royalty Howard Zinn who had died the previous week.

Vasquez is a talented singer and performer and the rest of the band including Quon, multi-instrumentalist Kelly Winrich, founders Jameson and drummer Brandon Young are loose, seasoned performers who look like you would have to drag them off stage. When the band played their singles 'People C'mon' and 'Trashcan,' the audience shout-along was obviously appreciated, and it affirmed, for a band that had been in the studio for nearly a year, that they were missed.

Watching the Delta Spirit perform the following thought occurred; roots rock bands are kind of like Hollywood political thrillers. Both consistently use the same well-worn elements, neither appears difficult to create and yet, every year it seems thousands of new ones appear and nearly all are forgettable.

Not so the Delta Spirit.

Released this week, Heligoland is the erstwhile trip-hoppers' crowning achievement.

By Steven Rosen

Massive Attack's Robert (3D) Del Naja and Grant (Daddy G) Marshall construct songs the way artists create paintings. (Del Naja is an artist; his neo-expressionist portrait adorns the cover of their just-released fifth studio album, Heligoland.)

Using sound like a painter uses material to build up color and texture on a canvas, they use individual songs to create an album recognizable as theirs for its characteristic traits - an overall introspective, studio-processed swirl of sound, slow enough to let the ghostly, disembodied vocals and stately minor-key chording create a seductive narcotic effect, but varying enough in its changing drum patterns, bass figures and keyboard/guitar coloration to have a sense of movement from song to song.

They're so good at on Heligoland that they've made a lasting art object - their form-is-statement command of trip-hop is as masterly as is Pet Shop Boys' similar work with post-New Wave dance music. The title refers to a German archipelago in the North Sea, but some have wondered - with good reason - whether it should be pronounced "Hell Ego Land" in deference to Massive Attack's collaborative, virtuoso-adverse way of producing music.

Yet, pop music can be compared to literature as well as visual art. And for a specific album to really stand out, its individual songs have to have a memorable presence independent of the group's overall sound, however distinctive the latter might be. Like short stories, they need to have a sense of developing drama.

Overall, Heligoland is effective on this score. It avoids the kind of industrial-strength dance music Massive Attack has done previously, like Mezzanine's "Inertia Creeps," in favor of a more shadowy overall mood. The duo rely a little too much on thin, whispery and sometimes-enervated vocals (especially Del Naja's own) that bury the lyrics, but they aren't imprisoned by that. (While this approach keeps vocals from dominating the overall carefully constructed soundscape, an apparent goal, I sometimes wish Massive Attack would take a hint from their precursors, 1980s dance-music collective Art of Noise, and just let Tom Jones rip through an occasional song. Or at least bring back Sinead O'Connor.)

Sometimes the duo rescue a track from an uninteresting voice, as when they build up the bass and organ at the end of "Babel," which Martina Topley-Bird sings prettily but vacantly, and then double-track her to give the vocals some climactic power. And while Tunde Adabimpe (of TV on the Radio) actually sings the chilly, ominous but danceable "Pray for Rain" (think Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain") with just the right sense of expressive tautness, Massive Attack beautifully lets it build toward an ending with a waterfall of wordless, Brian Wilson-like harmonies. 

Other songs are made memorable by the lead vocals, themselves, and the sense of progression - rather than stasis - that the singers communicate as they traverse the compositions. Guy Garvey (of Elbow) does a terrific job with the melodically difficult "Flat of the Blade," reminding one of David Sylvian or Scott Walker in his ability to summon beauty out something you're never quite otherwise works as pop music. And Damon Albarn is romantic on a gorgeous song poetically titled "Saturday Come Slow."

Perhaps the single best track is "Paradise Circus," which hooks you right away with a slow, steady keyboard pattern that straddles minor- and major keys so effectively you feel drawn to its secrets as if to a mysterious force. And then the drum patterns keep you close, while Hope Sandoval sings with a commanding mixture of quietude and clarity until the track builds to a symphonic flourish.

Incidentally, Massive Attack's treatment of their work as art extends to the production of music videos. One of several commissioned for Heligoland, Toby Dye's take on "Paradise Circus," is extraordinary - using former porn star (and now-elderly) Georgina Spelvin in a then-and-now reflection on her career, which is also about on her sexual awakening. Combining eroticism and melancholy, it takes on Proustian dimensions. In its survey of a life through a pop song, it's a worthy sequel to Johnny Cash's "Hurt" video and deserves a wide audience, even if it has some adult material.

Latin Alternative Music Conference Returns to New York City For Its Eleventh Year And Will Once Again Feature Industry Panels, Artist Showcases And Film Screenings Across the City In Addition To Free Concerts At Central Park SummerStage And Celebrate Brooklyn At Prospect Park Band Shell.

By Blurt Staff

What's billed as "the biggest event in the world for cutting-edge Latin music" will return to the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from July 6th - 10th.  Featuring leading artists and music industry professionals, the Latin Alternative Music Festival is now in its 11^th year - and registration, which opens today, is a cost-efficient (and economy-nodding) $99. Seriously, look around at some of the other festivals that take place this summer and you're talking 250-300 bucks for those.

"We are very excited to be celebrating and sponsoring this year's 11th anniversary of the Latin Alternative Music Conference," said Joseph Carvajal, Hispanic Brand Marketing Manager, Jack Daniel's USA (with whom the LAMC partners). "The LAMC represents a great opportunity for Jack Daniel's to honor, connect and celebrate with thousands of friends in and outside of the music industry, who value and respect the fraternity, authenticity and independence that Latin alternative music has to offer everyone."

Among the events planned for LAMC 2010 are free concerts at Central Park SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell, as well as numerous industry panels, showcases and film screenings for LAMC registrants.

Past conferences have averaged more than 1,250 music industry attendees and 25,000 concert fans each year, networking with artists, labels, journalists, marketers and the like while taking in scores of performances. In the past artists such as Manu Chao and Café Tacuba have put on electrifying concerts and each year the LAMC seems to get stronger.

Panels and concert information will be announced in the coming months. 

Details and registration: www.LatinAlternative.com

Seriously, anything is fair game. Not they will be forced to answer "anything," but still.... Here's your chance to find out all those things about Spoon you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.

By The Blurt Editors

Earlier this month Britt Daniel & Co. released its latest album,Transference, on Merge, and a big national tour will be kicking off in mid-March starting with an NPR Music showcase in Austin at SXSW. We've got the tour details here.

Meanwhile, we're offering you a chance to ask Spoon whatever questions you want, kinda like the way those British mags grill a washed-up classic rock personality each month, but way cooler, ‘cos it's Spoon of course. Wanna know how Britt gets his hair so perfect? Where they got the name Spoon from? Who's a Republican and who's a Democrat in the band? Maybe even some lingering queries about the agony and the ecstasy of their old major label nemesis Ron Laffitte? Ask away! The results will be included in a far reaching and sure-to-be entertaining interview at blurt-online.com and the upcoming issue of BLURT.

And if this goes well, maybe our next contest of this ilk will be "Ask Laffitte".... Hey, it could happen...

Email your questions to: askspoon@blurt-online.com

Incidentally, make sure you identify yourself in some way - it doesn't have to be elaborate, but at the very least give your first name and where you are from, e.g.:

Wayne
OKC, Oklahoma

Hey, it's just common courtesy. Internet anonymity is for pussies.

In the pantheon of gifts that just keep giving, this one is near the top.

By Perez Mills

As Paul McCartney once put it so eloquently, some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs - and what's wrong with that?

As lovebirds across America settle in for a fun day of snugglin' ‘n' snoggin' we present to you our favorite silly love song: "Drink, Fight and Fuck" (aka "DF&F") by late singer-songwriter GG Allin. Hailing from Allin's 1987's classic Hated in the Nation, the tune's got all the dramatic components (and action verbs!) that power a compelling love song's narrative. There's drama and implied tragedy, plus an undercurrent of redemption for the protagonist after he's gone through fire (the drinking part, followed by the fighting interlude) during the first part of the song, only to wind up with the proverbial happy ending (the fucking part).

It really gets to the heart of what Valentine's Day is all about, which is sharing some quality time with your sweetie. And the fact that the legendary scum-rocker died of an overdose in a squalid NYC apartment just makes the tune all the more poignant - clearly, this was a man with demons, yet he wasn't afraid to open himself up for the world to see.

Sing along, won't you?

"Drink, Fight and Fuck"

We like to drink and party hard
We're not afraid to fight, we're not afraid of die
We like to fuck, any girl will do
We're not ashamed of the things we do
Drink, fight and fuck
Drink, fight and fuck
Give me a bottle, Jack Daniels will do
Stay out of my way I'm gonna flatten you
Give me a girl, I don't care who
'Cause drink, fight and fuck is what I'm gonna do
Drink, fight and fuck
Drink, fight and fuck
Drink, fight and fuck
Drink, fight and fuck
We like to drink and party hard
We're not afraid to fight, and we're not afraid of die
We like to fuck, just any girl will do
We're not ashamed of the things that we do
Drink, fight and fuck
Drink, fight and fuck

Free MP3 of new song offered from the multitasking bard.

By Fred Mills

In honor of V-Day, BLURT fave Joseph Arthur has a new song titled "Love Never Asks You to Lie" that he's made available for free download as his website.

Just head over to his to the JosephArthur.com site and plug in your email in the newsletter signup box and you'll be directed to the download.

Arthur, incidentally, is currently on the latest leg of his solo tour - sans band, he's performing with loops and pedals and additionally devoting part of each show to painting one of his abstract portraits while onstage (and singing, no less). He then auctions off the paintings with proceeds going to Haitian relief.

Check out a video of him painting onstage below - tour dates at his site.

[Photo Credit: Danny Clinch]

A comprehensive new biography charts the blues, racism in America and more - and gets it right, due in part to the blues icon being viewed through British eyes.

By Rick Allen

By the third page of Michael Gray's Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell (published recently by Chicago Review Press), the titular bluesman circa the summer of 1956 is described as "a bit overweight" and looking "about sixty", "old" and "elderly." In the summer of 1956 according to the birth date as determined by the author's own research, Blind Willie McTell was 53 years old. Some sources give his birth year as 1898 which would have made him 58 at the time. Allowing for the burdens of life in the American South for any black man who lived during the first half of the 29^th century and even adding on the wearying pressures that come from being an itinerant, blind musician, the age related adjectives used by Gray, who was 62 when this book was published in his native United Kingdom, seem a little cliché; black + bluesman = old.

Despite that quibble, Gray, who has written extensively if not always to universal agreement about Bob Dylan, has written a very interesting book about the life and times of William Samuel McTell, known to history as Blind Willie McTell. With facts being scarce and obscure, even ones concerning relatively recent history, Gray had quite a task to make McTell's tale as comprehensive as possible and he's done quite a good job of it, creating a book that sparks further interest McTell's life and art and the lives and art of some of his precursor and contemporaries, helping to put back their stories in their proper place in the fabric of American music and history.

The book has its faults; Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Brownie McGee, Josh White, B.B. King and a host of other blues singers seem to counter Gray's belief that McTell's precise diction separates him from the "typical" blues singer. But, hey, half a century after McTell's death, there are people who marvel at the "articulateness" of America's first black president. Apparently Bryant Gumbel has been out of mainstream public view for too long.

On the plus side, Gray goes back, Michener-like to the formation of the world McTell came into and lived through, giving brief but  well- researched and detailed sketches of the Civil War and its aftermath and of slavery and the civil rights struggle, all of which do a great deal toward informing the reader what all the fuss is about concerning American race relations and why true blues - as opposed to the British blues-rock of Page, Clapton etc. - sounds most authentic played by Americans, black or white. Since racism degrades both its targets and its perpetrators, all Americans are in some ways victims of it; their blues is informed by that condition, knowingly or not. 

Any biography of an American black (or southern) musician has got to deal with the history of race relations in order to give a fleshed out portrait. Gray has done a remarkable job of holding up the mirror and, as a non-American is not hampered by some of the inevitable emotionally charged biases - good or bad - that would affect an American writer of any race.

By the time he gets to the particulars, such as they are, about his ostensible subject, Blind Willie McTell, Gray has done a superb job of setting the scene; he gets a lot of it right, not just socially and historically but musically too. He is spot on when he talks about how East Coast Blues is given short shrift by critics who laud the Blues of the delta, Texas and later , Chicago as more authentic, more "bluesy."

Gray reminds the reader of the long connection between pre-country "hillbilly" music and the blues and of the division between them too and he sketches in the recording history of both. He also deals briefly with how the blues (originally an a cappella vocal music, at first on record and gradually in the public perception, went from being a female dominated piano backed music to one dominated by guitar playing men.

By the time the book gets as detailed as it can about McTell the reader has been given invaluable knowledge of things hidden, denied, resented, mis-interpreted and just plain forgotten or written out of American chronicle. If Gray's story of Blind Willie McTell's life and times is more "times" than "life," it's no less readable and worth reading for it.

Frontman for the "My Sharona" band dies after lengthy battle with cancer.

By Fred Mills

Knack frontman Doug Fieger, who steered his new wave combo to international fame in 1979 with the hit "My Sharona," passed away yesterday, Feb. 14, at his Woodland Hills, Calif. home. Fieger, 57, had been battling cancer for the past 6 years.

Everybody knows "My Sharona," with its irresistibly bouncy rhythm, choppy/jangly riff, anthemic chorus and naughty lyrics (the latter sometimes drew fire from feminists, but they were really just part of a long line of rock and pop lyrics celebrating, with a wink and a leer, the nubile joys of female pulchritude). The Knack was far more than jus a one-hit wonder, however, for across the band's first two albums, 1979's Get the Knack and 1980's ...But The Little Girls Understand (platinum and gold, respectively) were scattered a slew of infectious tunes that for many represented the commercial face of powerpop - tracks like "Oh Tara," "Good Girls Don't," a cover of Buddy Holly's "Heartbeat," "Baby Talks Dirty," "Hold On Tight and Don't Let Go," in particular.

On that "commercial face of powerpop" count, the critics found an easy target in The Knack, with purists decrying everything from the group's matching outfits to their television ubiquity performing "My Sharona" to their perceived "authenticity." Put another way, they were the Hootie & the Blowfish of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, fair or not.

Time, however, often will show the wiser, and in retrospect it's clear that the band's success opened doors for many other bands who specialized in classic British Invasion-derived (and sometimes Nuggets-referencing) sounds. Powerpop, in a sense, has always been rock's red-headed stepchild so for a brief moment three decades ago, it had a golden opportunity to poke at least a head and an arm or two through the door. Record labels flocked to sign every neatly-coiffed, powerpop-leaning band they could find (typically, I L.A.), so in that sense, the Knack were also the Nirvana of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Doug Fieger grew up on the Motor City rock scene and fronted the group Sky before moving to Los Angeles, where he formed the Knack and had his huge success. Years after the band's hitmaking days were over, Fieger continued to tour as the Knack. About 6 years ago he was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer.

David Was (aka Weiss) of Was (Not Was) was fellow Detroit expat and a friend of Fieger who is quoted in the Free Press article. He saw Fieger 10 days ago and told a reporter, "I think both of us thought it might be our farewell. He was resigned, but with the same sort of philosophical calm that he had been showing -- this kind of steely determination. He never let his own troubles dictate the moment.

"I don't know where he got [his drive and work ethic] from, but he was self-educated. guy who went from high school to Hollywood without passing go. He had this passion combined with a blind confidence that he was going to be a star."

Helped marshall the vaunted Chicago sound including Naked Raygun, Big Black and Effigies.

By Fred Mills

Anybody who was on the indie scene during the ‘80s owns a record or two by hard-hitting postpunk bands from Chicago like Big Black, Naked Raygun, the Effigies and Pegboy. One man who had a major behind-the-scenes hand in records by those artists and more was UK-born Iain Burgess, whose engineering and production credits can be found over and over.

Word began getting out over the weekend that Burgess died last Thursday, Feb. 11, in France, where he'd relocated in 1993 to operate his own studio, Black Box. The cause of death, according to the Chicago Reader, was from a pulmonary embolism "a complication of the pancreatic and liver cancers he'd recently been diagnosed with."

Burgess also worked with the Didjits, Poser Children, Bloodsport, Ministry, the Defoliants, Heavy Manners, the Cows, Breaking Circus, Jawbox and others during his tenure here in the States.

Big Black/Shellac frontman and fellow studio maven Steve Albini posted a lengthy remembrance to the Electrical Audio message board on Saturday, writing, in part, "Iain did basically everything he wanted to. He made all the records, rocked all the houses, loved all the women and traveled everywhere until he settled down on a beautiful spot and made it more beautiful. He made records better than the bands on them for almost nothing. He drank wine and ate and laughed and talked loud and was loved. I suspect that Iain knew what an impact he had on everyone he worked with, and I hope he allowed himself to be content on the way out."

Read Albini's full post, as it's both revealing and remarkably sentimental in Albini's own unvarnished, straightforward manner; go here to read the entire Electrical Audio thread about Burgess, which includes a number of posts from people who obviously knew and cared about Burgess a lot.

Mark your calendars for March 23, when the album presumably will unrobe.

By Fred Mills

Is there going to be a new Bonnie ‘Prince' Billy album dropping on March 23? Will Oldham's label, Drag City, ain't saying for sure. But with a couple of cryptic videos making the internet rounds - see below - it appears that an album titled The Wonder Show of the World, by BPB and The Cairo Gang, is en route. Check out the videos, which are actually nearly identical - the first one references the UK release date, via Domino, while the second one would correspond with Drag City's American date. (Thanks to Pitchfork for the tip.)

That's quite an ass, by the way. Can we have her/his name for future modeling prospects?

"A national treasure": Brian Wilson's favorite lyricist turns the Swedish American Hall into an intimate room on Feb. 12. Opening for the bard: Clare & the Reasons.

By Jud Cost

Van Dyke Parks sneaked into San Francisco Friday night with little fanfare for a rare live performance and still managed to fill every folding chair in the cozy Swedish American Hall (capacity 225) with devotees of his delightfully off-kilter brand of Americana. As the mushroom-shaped lights dimmed overhead in this musty, unheated room-whose ornate, carved-wood filigree made it seem more Old World Lutheran parish hall than rock venue-the rotund, avuncular Parks plopped himself down in front of a baby grand piano and began thumbing through a large stack of sheet music.

Accompanied by cello, electric bass and the fine violin of Olivier Manchon from tonight's opening act, Brooklyn-based French popsters Clare & the Reasons, this was to be a thoroughly orchestrated evening of twinkling gems from the man best known as Brian Wilson's lyrical foil for the Beach Boys' long-lost, recently reconstituted, 1967 masterpiece, Smile. "Old age and treachery can sometimes overcome youth and ability," twinkled Parks in the direction of his babyfaced backing trio as he prefaced his magical "codger-rock" selections with rambling commentary, much of it muttered off-mic like the old man rummaging through dusty shoeboxes of memorabilia in Samuel Beckett's 1958 play Krapp's Last Tape.

At one point in the late '60s, Parks and fellow Los Angeles tunesmith Randy Newman were marketed as the brave young future of rock music by Warner Bros. records. And so they were, to some extent, although both began as word-of-mouth cult faves rather than instant pop phenoms. I once told Newman, now an Oscar-winning soundtrack composer, that his music sounded like its melodies came from Stephen Foster with lyrics by Lenny Bruce. "That sounds about right, as long as you don't get the batting order reversed," Newman laughed. But how to describe the unique oeuvre of Van Dyke Parks? That he's done to pop music what Stephen Sondheim would soon do to the Broadway musical via the jarring tonalities of Sweeny Todd and Into The Woods?

Oddly enough, both Newman and Parks have written tunes called "Sail Away." While Newman's is an ironic description of a 19th century slave trader urging native Africans to join him on a great adventure ("In America every man is free/To take care of his home and his family/You'll be as happy as a monkey in a monkey tree"), Parks' song is more ethereal with echoes of "Surf's Up," the brilliant work he co-wrote with Wilson, originally intended for Smile. "Oh island in the sun/What I don't know won't hurt me none/When it's all said and done...That perfect host in harmony/We'll raise a toast to what's left of my memory/When will my ship come in?"

Parks dedicated "Orange Crate Art," the title-song of a 1995 album he shared with Wilson, to the "dust bowl" California migration of the Okies during the Great Depression of the 1930s, perfectly detailed in John Steinbecks' masterpiece, The Grapes Of Wrath. "It's ridiculous to think the poor will always be with us," said Parks before he played the  tune that details the colorful paintings stickered on the ends of wooden orange boxes. Parks also chuckled that his recent conversion to Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal recovery program had coincided with receiving his first Social Security check.

Though Parks pokes fun at himself-"musical curiosity: boundless, abilities: marginal," he describes his skills behind the 88-it's clear he has the chops of a concert pianist. When added to a singing voice that sometimes sounds like it should be coming through a megaphone, a la crooners from the 1920s, it's an irresistible force that welcomes you on board that never-ending bus ride, best described on "America" by Paul Simon ("They've all come to look for America"). With every song Van Dyke Parks peels off the stack of charts before him, it's more apparent he's as much a national treasure as the things he describes in his haunting, evocative melodies. 

Everything analog is new again! Jookabox teams up with Kid Primitive Family for some hot cassette action.

By Blurt Staff

On March 9 Joyful Noise Recordings will be issuing an extremely limited cassette split from Jookabox and Kid Primitive Family.

The Jookabox / Kid Primitive Family split is an ethereal, percussive-heavy exercise in existential musical chairs. Jookabox, who just released their third album "Dead Zone Boys" (Asthmatic Kitty/Joyful Noise), re-discover their folk roots on Side A. A far cry from the bombastic-zombie-funk of DZB, these are intimate, home-recorded experiments and re-interpretations of older material going all the way back to the days of Grampall Jookabox's 2007 debut "Scientific Cricket". Side B showcases Chicago's Kid Primitive Family exploring guided meditation, Tuvinian throat singing, and strange new-world mysticism. Throughout the record, hip-hop tendencies weave in and out, pulsating percussion and echoey, layered vocals abound, and consciousness generally expands. Jookabox gets you in the mood, and Kid Primitive lures you over the edge.

The release is limited to just 100 cassette copies, complete with Digital Download coupon, and is now available for pre-order from the JNR site here.

Check out some free MP3s of each band too while you're at it:

Jookabox "John Kill Meets the Brick People"

Kid Primitive Family "The Sun (Dance)"

Jookabox On Tour:

02/15/10 - Mannheim, Germany @ Der Bock
02/16/10 - Lyon, France @ Le Sonic
02/17/10 - Toulouse, France @ Le Lieu Commun
02/18/10 - Rennes, France @ Antipode
02/19/10 - Paris, France @ La Fleche D'Or
02/20/10 - Tourcoing, France @ Le Grand Mix
02/21/10 - Colmar, France @ Le Musee du Jouet
02/22/10 - Strasbourg, France @ Stimultania
02/24/10 - Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom @ The Forum
02/25/10 - London, United Kingdom @ Queen of Hoxton
02/26/10 - Blackburn, United Kingdom @ 41 King Street
02/27/10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
02/28/10 - Ultrech, Netherlands @ Ekko
03/01/10 - Gent, Belgium @ Cafe Video

The Portland songstress, along with Old Believers and Led to the Sea, entrances an audience at Northampton's Iron Horse on February 14.

By Jennifer Kelly

Last December in an interview with BLURT, Laura Veirs said that she had to release the very summery July Flames, her seventh and latest album, in January "for business reasons." Those business reasons became fully apparent at this Valentine's Day concert when a very pregnant Veirs took the stage for what has to be one of the last in a series of concerts before she has her first child. At a stage in pregnancy when many women have trouble standing - and even sitting - for long periods, Veirs had just returned from a string of dates in Europe. Only late in the program did she even acknowledge her condition, announcing, "You know I'm going to have a baby soon," and predicting a little break in the tour schedule - but not a long one. "This baby is going to be a child of the road," she predicted, "So when we tour again, it will be with a baby."

For now, though, Veirs is touring with a three piece band, two of whose members, Alex Guy (as Led to the Sea) and Nelson Kempf (as Old Believers) play opening slots. Alex Guy, sings and accompanies herself on the violin, picking pizzicato patterns during the verse and coaxing long, lush bowed notes in the bridges. Her voice is in the same family as Veirs' - fresh, clear, without much vibrato - and her lyrics, like Veirs' own, littered with evocative natural imagery. Often she sets up a rhythmic loop at the beginning of songs, then adds swoops and throbs of more sustained sounds over it. Her act is a bit like an indie folk version of Anni Rossi, but without the knocking and clicking and bow-banging that Rossi uses for rhythm.

Next, Nelson Kempf plays some acoustic-guitar accompanied songwriter folk, confessing that he's nervous since, after a month in Europe, this is the first time anyone could understand what he's saying. His guitar playing is very subdued, barely audible chords framing songs about childhood homes and familiar territories. His best song comes late in the show and comes from a split with his sometime performing partner Dhani Rosa. It's called "All the Love You Ever Felt Is With You Now," and he brings up Rosa to accompany him on keyboards and the audience in to sing a counterpart of "All the love...All the love...All the love..."

And then with Rosa, there's a welcome burst of absurdity as Old Believers morphs from earnings guitar-slinger folk to a kind of pseudo-electro-soul. This is exuberantly theatrical, acting out a song about waking up and taking a shower with large-scale gestures to Casio beats and Kempf's 1970s wah wah guitar. It's very funny but no one in this very mature audience seems to be laughing. (Kempf is borderline cracking up for the whole set.) "I've got a name for a porn movie," Rosa announces between songs, a propos of nothing. "It's called The Devil Wears Nada." And finally, people seem to get the joke and start to laugh.

Veirs, with her horn rimmed glasses and Hillary headband, fits right in with the Smith College vibe of Northampton. She notes, at one point, that two of her aunts and one grandmother were Smithies and wondered if any of them had ever been at the Iron Horse. She herself could easily be a grad student, even with the bump (grad students have kids, too, after all), and her music, radiantly pretty but with a hard, intelligent spine to it, seems especially appropriate in this town so long dedicated to female empowerment. She starts with "Carol Kaye," the song from July Flame that pays tribute to the 1960s bass player, a feminist icon in her own rite, with Eric Anderson picking out the low-end slides and thumps. Kempf has switched to piano, and Guy plays violin. Everyone sings.

There's no real drum kit on the set, though various players take turns whacking one tom and a kick drum or shaking a tambourine. "Cast a Hook," off the Saltbreakers album, is driven by a thumping bass drum, but many of the songs are more lightly tethered to rhythms set by guitar picking, pizzicato violin or keyboard plunks.

Harmonies are pushed hard, with everyone singing loud and at strident intervals, so that the songs sometimes sound a bit like Sacred Harp gatherings. And Veirs' own voice, which can be soft and reflective, makes sudden leaps and crescendos, chops fluid lines by accenting words unexpectedly and gives the music an unexpected edge.   The tunes, which can seem contained on the record, gain a bit of frenzy live. "July Flame" turns particularly vivid in concert, its slippery guitar slides going vertiginous, its careening violin swooping offkilter. The song is much more intense - and simply better - live than on the record.

The set covers most of July Flame, a couple of songs from Saltbreakers and some older material. Towards the end, Veirs switches to banjo and engages in a speed-dueling hoe-down with Guy. The audience claps along, faster and faster, as the two women accelerate, fingers and bows turning to a blur. Afterwards, Veirs comments, "I know we're getting to about the right speed when we're not smiling anymore. There's nothing left for a smile."

The main set closes with a folky, tightly harmonized cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again" and the haunting "I Can See Your Tracks." The band returns for an encore of "Sleeper in the Valley" and "Make Something Good," and leaves on a high note. Afterwards Veirs can be found perched on a stool, friendly, conversing, signing CDs for fans, looking not the least bit weighed down or tired by her soon-to-be extra touring partner.

Emo godfathers also have deluxe vinyl reissue of their classic CD collection.

By Blurt Staff

With only one full-length album to their name alongside a handful of singles and compilation tracks, Cap'n Jazz left a longstanding impression and irrefutable influence on the region's bohemian punk scene and unwittingly spawned a breeding ground for future scene stars such as the Promise Ring and Joan Of Arc. Traces of their sonic fingerprint permeate hundreds of indie records released in their wake. Formed by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella in Chicago in 1989, the band shone brightly until breaking up in 1995.

15 years later, Cap'n Jazz played a short surprise set this past January. The band has decided to reunite again, starting at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago on July 17th with select dates soon to follow, but as things stand now, the group will only be around for a short while during the summer.

Their label Jade Tree is also taking their 1998 retrospective/overview Analphabetapolothology, and reissuing it on vinyl on June 15th. As Cap'n Jazz has grown in popularity, so has the demand for the anthology on vinyl.

Check out the MP3 for "Oh, Messy Life"

The Analphabetapolothology double LP will be packaged in a deluxe gatefold album jacket with plenty of bonus material not included with the original CD release, including never before seen photos, show fliers, and new liner notes by Tim Kinsella.

Album due March 23: MP3 and Video, below.

By Blurt Staff

Bettie Serveert's new album, Pharmacy of Love, will be released on March 23rd by Second Motion Records in the U.S. and by Sound of Pop in Canada. It's the Dutch band's first album in four years. Keep your eyes peeled in the direction of BLURT for some in-depth coverage close to the album's street date.

With the band employing a "back to basics" approach, Pharmacy of Love captures the kind of raw, contagious energy that has long characterized Bettie Serveert's live shows. Recorded earlier this year in a Belgian recording studio, founding members Carol van Dyk (vocals/guitar), Peter Visser (guitar) and Herman Bunskoeke (bass) were joined on the new album by special guest Joppe Molenaar (of the Dutch band Voicst) on drums.

Free MP3: "Deny All"

The back story:

Bettie Serveert released its debut album, Palomine, in 1992. Signed to Matador Records in the States, the band was championed by critics and quickly became a favorite at college radio with singles "Tom Boy" and "Kid's Allright" getting substantial airplay. Lamprey, which Melody Maker praised for having the most tangled, desolate, real life guitar sound of the year, was released in 1995, followed by 1997's Dust Bunnies, which the band recorded in Woodstock, NY with producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Lemonheads). The band toured extensively, opening for bands such as Belly, Dinosaur Jr, Buffalo Tom, Superchunk, Jeff Buckley, Wilco and Counting Crows. After its 1998 live album of Velvet Underground covers, Bettie Serveert Plays Venus in Furs and Other Velvet Underground Songs, the band released a string of studio albums - Private Suit, Log 22 and Attagirl - on its own label, Palomine Records. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Bettie Serveert released Bare Stripped Naked in 2006. A semi-acoustic CD/DVD package of primarily new material, it was hailed by allmusic.com as "a rousing and heroic reminder of what a great band they were and continue to be."

Already out is a digital EP, Deny All, available at the iTunes Music Store.   In addition to lead single "Deny All," the EP will include a long version of "Calling (XL)", a small version of "Souls Travel (small)" plus "Waiting for Control," a bonus track that won't appear on Pharmacy of Love.

Check out the video for "Deny All" below. Incidentally, there are TONS of vids and tunes at the band's official website.

Tracklisting:

1.    Deny All
2.    Semaphore
3.    Love Lee
4.    Mossie
5.    The Pharmacy
6.    Souls Travel
7.    Calling
8.    Change4Me
9.    What They Call Love

Play Select Cities And Release New Album Track In Support Of The Creatures In The Garden Of Lady Walton

By Blurt Staff

Clogs (Bryce Dessner of The National, guitar; Rachael Elliott, bassoon; Thomas Kozumplik, percussion; and Australian composer Padma Newsome, viola) are playing select cities in the coming weeks in support of their forthcoming album, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton (out March 2nd on Brassland).

Watch BLURT for an exclusive interview with the members of the band the week of the album's release.

Featuring extensive vocal work from Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, plus special guests including Sufjan Stevens, Aaron Dessner and Matt Berninger of The National, and the Osso String Quartet, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, composed by Padma Newsome, is Clogs' first album of songs after four primarily instrumental releases. The Veil Waltz EP, a prologue to this new album, is now available digitally on Brassland.

Clogs compose and improvise using sounds and textures from across the musical spectrum - the immediacy of folk and rock music, twisted Americana, and the complexity of modern composition.  

Check out the MP3 from the album for  "Red Seas"

MP3 from the EP  for "Three-Two"

Over the past few years, Clogs have performed with the Brooklyn Philharmonic at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, at the Sydney Festivals, the Bang on a Can Marathon, Cincinnati, Ohio's MusicNow Festival, the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Warhol Museum. For this release, they will perform at the Southern Theater in partnership with the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, The Bell House in New York and the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Clogs Tour Dates:

Fri. Feb. 19 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Southern Theater

Sat. Feb. 20 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Southern Theater

Wed. Mar. 24 -- New York, NY @ Bell House w/ Ólöf Arnalds and Julianna Barwick

March 26 - 28 -- Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival

[Photo Credit: Seraphina]

Plus a lot of acts that nobody outside the UK could care less about...

By Blurt Staff

Dressed to kill (good fashion taste, that is), Lady Gaga brought home the Brit bacon last night at the annual Brit Awards with trophies for all three categories she was up for: Best International Album, International Breakthrough Act and Best International Female.

Other winners - many of whom, like Gaga, also performed at the show - included Lily Allen (Best British Female), Florence and the Machine (British Female Solo Artist), Dizzee Rascal (British Male Solo Artist), Kasabian (British Group) and JLS (British Breakthrough Act).

Who the hell is JLS? Come to think of it, who the hell are any of these people? And who ever heard of an awards category called "MasterCard British Album"? Anyhow, full list below, plus a video of Lady Gaga. There's plenty of highlights from the show already on YouTube if you are so inclined to check ‘em out.

List of Nominees and Winners:

British Female Solo Artist

Bat for Lashes

WINNER: Florence & the Machine

Leona Lewis

Lily Allen

Pixie Lott

British Male Solo Artist

Calvin Harris

WINNER: Dizzee Rascal

Mika

Paolo Nutini

Robbie Williams

British Breakthrough Act

Florence & the Machine

Friendly Fires

WINNER: JLS

La Roux

Pixie Lott

British Group

Doves

Friendly Fires

JLS

WINNER: Kasabian

Muse

MasterCard British Album

Dizzee Rascal - Tongue n'Cheek

WINNER: Florence & the Machine - Lungs

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up

British Single

Alesha Dixon - Breathe Slow

Alexandra Burke Ft Flo Rida - Bad Boys

Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love

Joe McElderry - The Climb

WINNER: JLS - Beat Again

La Roux - In For The Kill

Lily Allen - The Fear

Pixie Lott - Mama Do

Taio Cruz - Break Your Heart

Tinchy Stryder Ft N-Dubz - Number 1

Critics' Choice

Ellie Goulding WINNER

Delphic

Marina and the Diamonds

BRITs Album of 30 Years

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head

Dido - No Angel

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

Duffy - Rockferry

Keane - Hopes & Fears

WINNER: Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

Phil Collins - No Jacket Required

Sade - Diamond Life

The Verve - Urban Hymns

Travis - The Man Who

The BRITs Hits 30

Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive/How Deep is Your Love

Bros. - I Owe you Nothing

Coldplay - Clocks

Eurythmics & Stevie Wonder - Angel

Girls Aloud - The Promise

Kanye West - Gold Digger

Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out of my Head

Michael Jackson - Earth Song

Paul McCartney - Live & Let Die

Pet Shop Boys - Go West

Robbie Williams & Tom Jones - The Full Monty Medley

Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama

WINNER: Spice Girls - Wannabe/Who Do You Think You Are

Take That - Beatles Medley

The Who - Who Are You

International Female Solo Artist

WINNER: Lady Gaga

Ladyhawke

Norah Jones

Rihanna

Shakira

International Male Solo Artist

Bruce Springsteen

Eminem

WNNER: Jay-Z

Michael Buble

Seasick Steve

International Album

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Black Eyed Peas - The End

Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

WINNER: Lady Gaga - The Fame

International Breakthrough Act Supported By MTV Viewers

Animal Collective

Daniel Merriweather

Empire of the Sun

WINNER: Lady Gaga

Taylor Swift

Outstanding Contribution Award

Robbie Williams

Video clip of acceptance speech below too.

By Fred Mills

Last night at the annual Brit Awards (details and full list of nominees and winners here), Oasis founder (and erstwhile Oasis leader) Noel Gallagher accepted the "BRITs Album of 30 Years" trophy for his band's classic album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? And in typical Gallagheresque fashion, the guitarist made sure that his appearance onstage would generate at least as much watercooler (Twitter) buzz as Lady Gaga's multiple appearances.

First, stepping to the mic, he thanked his bandmembers but pointedly left his estranged brother Liam out, saying, "I'd like to thank Bonehead, Guigsy, Alan White.... the best bands in the fucking world live forever."

Then, upping the entertainment ante, he tossed both the microphone AND the award into the audience. See the video, below - they've bleeped out the naughty words, however.

Apparently the person whose lap the trophy fell into promptly zipped home and posted it for sale on eBay. By this morning the listing had generated 117 bids with the top bid reportedly £999,999, although there's a somewhat dubious element to all this - if you click on that link you'll land on an eBay UK page that displays the message "This listing (170447301412) has been removed, or this item is not available."

At least one website was apparently able to post a small and somewhat grainy screen shot (see above) of the listing at some point during the bidding, but it looks like it's showing £250,000.06, which isn't anywhere near a million pounds.

UPDATE: A sharp-eyed BLURT reader in the UK just emailed to let us know that he heard about the eBay listing this morning so he did a search of the UK site and found the Oasis award. "I watched it go from £295 to £999,999.00 in approx 5-6 minutes," he tells us, adding, "I then went out for a couple of hours and then checked when I got home to find it had been removed from Ebay."

It will be interesting to find out what the circumstances of eBay's presumed take-down of the auction were.

Our reader also found the seller listing for the person who'd put the award up for auction, a British individual using the eBay handle "Invosis" and with 120 auctions to date since joining eBay in July of 2001. View the profile (such as it is) here.

A/K/A The Stroker Ace, the Guitarist Goes 'High Art' for Record Store Day. Sitars, even.

By Andy Tennille

April is already a month chock-full of holidays, what with April Fools Day kicking off the month, MerleFest and JazzFest winding it down and that Sunday in between when that bunny shits chocolate eggs on everyone's front lawn.

In the midst of all that revelry, vinyl geeks and rock stars will unite on April 17 for Record Store Day, the annual celebration in support of record stores around the world. Check here to see what some of your favorite artists are saying about Record Store Day, and here to see if your local shop is participating.

Drive-By Truckers are ardent supporters of record stores worldwide, so it would make sense - what with their new album, The Big To-Do, dropping on March 16 - that the Athens, GA rockers  might have something special up their sleeve for this year's festivities.

So what's it gonna be - a free acoustic performance at Schoolkids in Athens? Signing copies of their new album at Amoeba in San Francisco? A special screening of "The Secret to A Happy Ending," a documentary about the band being released this spring?

 How about the much-anticipated solo debut of The Stroker Ace, aka co-founding guitarist Mike Cooley!

"Coming soon," Cooley confirms to BLURT in a recent sit down. "It's done."

Though tight-lipped on the details, Cooley says the band will be issuing the special release on April 17 in time for Record Store Day.

"It's not an album, it's not a full-length record. It's not even an EP," he says. "There's no way I can describe it. You'll think I'm fucking with you if I start describing it. You'll just have to see. The only thing I'll tell you is this - it's high art."

"It's definitely that," confirms Truckers frontman Patterson Hood with a laugh. "It's so high art that John Neff plays the sitar."

[Photo of Mike Cooley, top of page, courtesy Wikipedia Commons]

Falling Down a Mountain, released this week, is even better than their celebrated 2009 comeback The Hungry Saw.

By John Schacht

Too many bands underestimate the healing powers of time off, choosing the heroic flame out rather than risking the embarrassing fade out. But there's increasing evidence that the latter isn't preordained, and that there really is something to pacing oneself for the long haul. Britain's maestros of the lush and lecherous, Tindersticks, risked a five-year hiatus after 2003's desultory Waiting for the Moon, an uninspired record that epitomized the band's recent slow-but-steady fall-off. But, having also parted with Stuart Staples' chief collaborator, Dickon Hinchliffe, the band returned full of piss and vinegar and a host of fresh ideas, as their 2009 release, The Hungry Saw, amply demonstrated. That they've written and recorded an even better follow-up, Falling Down a Mountain (Constellation), and done much of it during a whirlwind three-month summer session in 2009, suggests the time-off idea will be the key to a successful second act. The sextet that made The Hungry Saw return here, and the addition of third guitarist David Kitt and new drummer Earl Harvin create even more lush arrangements for the Northern Soul-tinged compositions of singer/guitarist Staples and keyboardist David Boulter, the chief architects.

Some of the orchestral textures may even recall the band's 1997 release, Curtains, but in truth the sonic palette is broader here and the compositions more diverse. The opening title track features a deep 5/8 groove, eerie keys and background feedback, all of it forming bedding for Terry Edwards' muted trumpet scrawls and Staples' one-too-many-cocktails croon. The whole modal vibe comes off as homage to Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden. "Harmony Around My Table" is a rollicking, hand-clapping number that gathers steam throughout, adding doo-wop harmonies and vibes to a crescendo that's as joyous as anything in the band's nearly two-decade-run. "Black Smoke" is a pulsing, early Roxy Music-like rocker built on a thick, 70s' guitar riff, Staples' deadpan delivery turning frantic as he confesses "I got shot down...I was greedy for it." Staples' narratives still probe love's darker corners, but there's a sense that the singer's matured, and can at least explain why it is he does the terrible things he does.

The band's long-running cinematic flair appears in various compelling guises, too. "She Rode Me Down" gallops out of a Spaghetti Western through insistent acoustic strumming, sinister cello, and Calexico-like trumpet heralds, but adds, of all things, a flute solo to the mix. The mid-record organ wash of "Hubbard Hills" reads like an intermission, and the closing instrumental "Piano Music" finds strings, guitar and piano circling hypnotically around a gorgeous descending figure - perfect roll-credits music for a disturbing noir-mystery. Just about the only missteps are the painfully silly lyrics on "Peanuts," a duet with Mary Margaret O'Hara, and the ballad "Keep You Beautiful," which tilts precious but mostly doesn't fare well in comparison with the piano-and-guitar lament "Factory Girls." The latter is one of the most wistful songs Staples has ever penned - and for a band that's delivered a lot of those over the years, that's saying something. All these various sonic flavors, including some new ones, cohere around Tindersticks' signature identity. That's the mark of a veteran band, but one that sounds as if its second life is just beginning.

In 1967 the celebrated jazz writer published a masterpiece. It's still essential reading, too.

By Steve Pick

It was a time when music fans seriously argued about questions of technique vs. creative content, when musicians had to find tiny holes in the wall and odd venues just to be allowed to play their original material, a time when the future came crashing into the present via a reclaiming of ideas from the past. No, not the New Wave of punk rock and assorted Bowery-based artists of the 1970s, but the New Thing of the ‘60s, the Avant-Garde of jazz which divided the world into those who accepted music outside the previous rules, and those who never would.

LeRoi Jones was probably the jazz writer most in touch with what was happening in this musical revolution (which happened to coincide with what was happening in the cultural revolution of the Civil Rights movement and its varied strains of African-American consciousness). He certainly was the jazz writer most capable of connecting the dots between the musical sounds, the social contexts, and the sense that it was all changing somehow for the better. Sure, players of such historical stature as Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, and others were scrambling to find places to play in front of audiences frequently numbered in the dozens, but Jones captured in prose the sense that this music was full of meaning, and undeniably essential.

Jones, who later changed his name to Amiri Baraka and who has since been one of the most controversial political and cultural thinkers of the past 45 years, wrote for Downbeat and the black publication Kulcher, as well as providing liner notes for some LPs. Black Music was actually his second book of jazz writing, but unlike Blues People: Negro Music in White America, which traced the history of music in the African-American community, this time the focus was fully on the sounds of a specific place and time - New York City in the early 1960s. As John Coltrane, Baraka's musical patron saint (though Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, and Albert Ayler come close in his pantheon), led the way, a movement towards musical freedom received documentation from a man who thoroughly understood what was developing, and could describe it with a sense of humor, honor, and passion.

The newly republished (courtesy Akashic) book builds towards an original essay, "The Changing Same (R&B and New Black Music)," in which Baraka posits a future in which all forms of black music will unite into one ultimate expression of cultural meaning. This didn't exactly happen, as most of the musicians he loved so much either remained on the margins, or changed to accommodate the public's preference towards more obvious melodies and simpler rhythms. But it's impossible to read Black Music without wishing you could have been there soaking up all this creativity, or at least without wanting to throw on some free jazz and feel the waves of emotional power, rhythmic expression, and sonic urgency that's clear on every page.

With members of the Foos, the Cars and Queen in the mix to boot.

By Blurt Staff

A year in the making, the second effort from Foo  Fighters' Taylor Hawkins and his Coattail Riders, Red Light Fever, is now scheduled for an April 20 release on Shanabelle/RCA Records.

Hawkins began demoing tracks on his own when an early 2009 break from the Foo Fighters' grueling touring schedule finally freed up the time. According to Hawkins, who of course provides drums and vocals on all tracks among other  additional instrumentation, "About halfway through, I just said fuck it, I don't care if the record ends up sounding like me having sex with my record  collection. I'm just going to have fun with it."

The record soon went from a home recording project like the Coattail Riders' 2006 debut (which was  recorded in Foo Fighters touring percussionist Drew Hester's living room) to  full on sessions at the Foo Fighters' state of the art 606 studio complex. Hawkins was joined by returning Coattail Riders Chris Chaney (bass) and Gannin Arnold (guitar) and, for the first time in the studio, touring Coattails guitarist Nate Wood. As the record's dozen songs were fleshed out, so too was  its stellar supporting cast, which would eventually come to include Elliot Easton of the Cars, Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, and last but by no  means least, Hawkins' bandmate Dave Grohl.

Red Light Fever could be considered a labor of love - if the sheer joy exuded in every note, influence and nuance of every song didn't make the entire affair seem so effortless. Hawkins' increasingly accomplished vocals and world renowned drumming skills  recall and pay tribute to Hawkins' vast spectrum of classic rock heroes - from the vintage 70s glam stomp of "Way Down," the hard rock rave up "Not Bad  Luck," a nod to Beatlesque balladry in the form of "Hell To Pay," and many more. Virtually every track evokes memories of the respective heydays of the Chinn-Chapman hit factory, The Move, Sweet, and even a little 10cc for good measure - all imbued with Hawkins' unmistakable musical personality.

Courtney Love proceeds with the master plan.

By Blurt Staff

Last year a new Courtney Love album titled Nobody's Daughter leaked pretty handily to the internet. As we reported at the time, it had been pushed back so many times that bloggers decided to take matters into their own hands, even creating artwork for the "album."

The Music Of Your Life blog, for example, posted the entire thing in MP3 format, although the Blogger.com blog in question has since been removed, so if you follow the link you'll eventually hit a dead end. Try a Torrent site instead. We nabbed the record in time... it's okay, but nothing special. Even presuming that some of the 11 tracks we've heard were at the time works in progress, there's nothing about it that suggests it will be setting the world on fire. Titles include "Pacific Coast Highway," "Letter To God," "Dirty Girls" and "Stand Up Motherfucker" so it's sorta Love-by-numbers, in fact.

Anyhow, Spin reports now that the five-years-in-the-making record is now due on April 27 from Mercury/IDJ, and instead of being a Courtney Love product, as La Love herself threatened awhile back, it's billed as a Hole album - much to original guitarist Eric Erlandson's dismay, who has told the media he's not too pleased.

Spin adds that the current Hole lineup "includes Love's roommate, 23-year-old British guitarist Micko Larkin, bassist Shawn Dailey (of Rock Kills Kid), and drummer Stuart Fisher. Jack Irons, formerly of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, played drums on the album." And erstwhile Love collaborators Billy Corgan, Linda Perry and Michael Beinhorn are nowhere in sight.

"One time, Frances was being mean and she said, 'What are you going to do if this record fails?'" Love is quoted as telling Spin. "Well, Frances, it can't fail because I love it, and I've worked really hard to make sure that I love it."

Altogether now... awwwww....

Seriously, anything is fair game. Not they will be forced to answer "anything," but still.... Here's your chance to find out all those things about Spoon you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.

By The Blurt Editors

Earlier this month Britt Daniel & Co. released its latest album,Transference, on Merge, and a big national tour will be kicking off in mid-March starting with an NPR Music showcase in Austin at SXSW. We've got the tour details here.

Meanwhile, we're offering you a chance to ask Spoon whatever questions you want, kinda like the way those British mags grill a washed-up classic rock personality each month, but way cooler, ‘cos it's Spoon of course. Wanna know how Britt gets his hair so perfect? Where they got the name Spoon from? Who's a Republican and who's a Democrat in the band? Maybe even some lingering queries about the agony and the ecstasy of their old major label nemesis Ron Laffitte? Ask away! The results will be included in a far reaching and sure-to-be entertaining interview at blurt-online.com and the upcoming issue of BLURT.

And if this goes well, maybe our next contest of this ilk will be "Ask Laffitte".... Hey, it could happen...

Email your questions to: askspoon@blurt-online.com

Incidentally, make sure you identify yourself in some way - it doesn't have to be elaborate, but at the very least give your first name and where you are from, e.g.:

Wayne
OKC, Oklahoma

Hey, it's just common courtesy. Internet anonymity is for pussies.

Who the heck is Lulu?

By Blurt Staff

At his official website, Rufus Wainwright has announced the imminent release of his sixth studio album, the followup to 2007's Release the Stars. It's to be titled All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu and is due April 20 - although if you're in Canada (or do any mail order from Canada) you can get it on March 23 for some ridiculous reason. UK fans split the difference and get it on April 5. Full tracklisting below.

(Actually, it makes sense not to release the album in the States March 23, as that same day a slew of new releases come out that would probably appeal to the same demographic as Wainwright's - among them, the Bird and the Bee, Goldfrapp, Nada Surf, She & Him and Pet Shop Boys.)

Wainwright also posted a tiny image of the sleeve art, although it's pretty murky:

Meanwhile, Rufus Wainwright: Prima Donna is being rebroadcast on the Sundance Channel February 22 and 23. The documentary follows Rufus' professional and personal growth from theatrical pop sounds to the creation of his first classical opera, Prima Donna. Watch the trailer on YouTube.

Tracklisting:

1. Who Are You New York?
2. Sad With What I Have
3. Martha
4. Give Me What I Want and Give It To Me Now!
5. True Loves
6. Sonnet 43
7. Sonnet 20
8. Sonnet 10
9. The Dream
10. What Would I Ever Do With A Rose?
11. Les Feux d'artifice t'appellent
12. Zebulon

Released by Chemikal Underground on March 2

By Blurt Staff

Emma Pollock, formerly of The Delgados, returns to Chemikal Underground with "The Law of Large Numbers", her second solo outing, and if her ‘repatriation' to the label she helped to create represents a return to more familiar territory, then the same could also be said for the album itself. The follow-up to 2007's 4AD-released "Watch the Fireworks", Emma's second solo effort eschews the traditional, accessibly melodic approach of her debut for a more angular musical terrain: "The Law of Large Numbers" is crammed with unconventional arrangements and by Emma's own admission, was an almost entirely self-serving project.

Recorded throughout 2009 in Chem19 with husband and ex-Delgado Paul Savage producing, "The Law of Large Numbers" is marked by sparse production, hints of Dixieland jazz, abrasive pop songs, programmed drums and improvised vocal loops. Also in the mix: Tom Waits percussion and jagged guitars contrasting with undulating piano and close harmonies. Guest vocalist Aden also appears on several cuts.

In the words of Emma herself, "The truest representation of me as an individual - whatever that means. I feel like I'm beginning to understand the difference between being a solo artist and being in a band, making music for my own gratification first and foremost. I was determined this album would have a drier, less emotive feel than 'Fireworks' and that it should be about not tying up loose ends, not controlling everything and leaving room for a more immediate response, improvising around a good idea in the studio. If the idea's good then it should hopefully produce a great result."

With a mathematical theorem as its title and sparse, weathered artwork recalling vintage hi-fi manuals, it would be tempting to make the assumption that Emma's leaning towards a more clinical, almost sterile approach to her work and while there may be some truth in that, inevitably, it's not the whole story. "It's most certainly not a cold record, it might contain some contradictions but most of the records I like do. I don't want things to sound too 'easy' and prefer to make something more oblique and hopefully more interesting, not too saccharine or sweet."

So what's with the numbers then? The Law of Large Numbers is a theorem concerned with the outcome of a repeated simple experiment with equal probability outcomes, such as rolling a dice, and its comparison with the theoretically predicted result. It's responsible for many a disillusioned gambler. Emma elaborates: "It's all about risk and expectation, and the human race's unwillingness to accept the random nature of events. There's a lot of beauty in mathematics and the natural world; it's all tied in with the wonder of things that are beyond our control."

Digital only EP will have a lot of cool add-ons. Perfect for when you're high, even!

By Blurt Staff

Who remembers The Blacks? One of the more exciting bands to emerge out of late ‘90s Chicago, they issued two great albums (1998's Dolly Horrorshow and 2000's Just Like Home, both on Bloodshot) then, in their own words, "flamed out" under their own volatility. They came back together, however, for a reunion show at the Bloodshot Records 15^th Anniversary Hideout Block Party in the fall of 2009. Now comes the recorded fruits of the reunion, a digital-only EP titled In Sickness and Health, due March 9 on Bloodshot.

The first 300 downloads come with a limited-edition poster designed by Danny Black and silk screened by Crosshair Silkscreen. All downloads of the EP include an enhanced package of lyrics, original artwork, photos and the documentary on the Blacks rise and fall, "Bring It Back From The Dead" by John Boston and Glorious Noise Productions.

Now THAT sounds like a bargain. Incidentally, don't confuse the band with another outfit, the San Francisco-based Blacks. Go here for their Bloodshot artist page.

Some details on the EP, courtesy Bloodshot:

Book-ending the EP are stark confessionals that could be comfortably sung in a dimly lit basement studio or on the railing of a bridge.  As we enter a new decade, singer/guitarist Danny Black's near-whispered "Ten Years" is the theme song for blown chances and wasted time, while bassist/singer Gina Black (classically trained, but beats and bows the stand-up like few others) sings "If It All Falls Through" teetering on desperation, her voice cracking and breathless with resignation or hope, it's hard to tell.  Maybe she doesn't even know.  Maybe it's the same thing.

In between are four songs bursting with sanguine energy. From the Flaming Lips soar of "Can't Explain" to the Tom Waits gutter poetry of "Bottled & Flat" to the X inflected fractured romance of "I'm In Love," The Blacks alchemical balance of orchestral punk, rootsy psychedelia and gut bucket snarl conjures many reference points, but remains uniquely theirs.  Guitarist/singer Nora O'Connor, (who spent much of the past decade singing with Andrew Bird, New Pornographers, Neko Case and Mavis Staples, as well as releasing the solo album 2004's Til the Dawn), with her simple raw and melodic playing and ethereal bluebird of a voice, and drummer James Emmenegger, all wide lapels and flailing arms, round out this, the classic line up of the Blacks, and make them more than the sum of their parts; their particular talents and demons making for fertile and exhilarating turns, and the production making for an intimate  headphones record, suitable for when you're low or when you're high.

Truly left of center tribute album arrives April 20 and features members of Black Flag and Blondie plus Mike Watt, Peter Case and others.

By Blurt Staff

This isn't your typical news item, and Gimmie Gimmie Gimme: Reinterpreting Black Flag is not your typical tribute record. Instead of roping in fellow punk or hardcore bands to cover the influential punk group's most revered songs, CMH Records/The Secret Life of Records have opted to get members of Black Flag and their friends to flip their songs on their pretty little punk rock heads and give them the flavors of the 1950s and 1960s rock and roll, country, and even surf rock.

"These reinterpretations recall the sounds made popular by artists such as Johnny Cash, Pasty Cline, Roy Orbison, and Brenda Lee," said the album producer, Evan Taylor, in a statement. "The goal of Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie was to create completely new interpretations of classic Black Flag songs while preserving the integrity of the original songs. The record was designed to appeal to a cross-over audience, offering Black Flag fans new takes on their favorite songs wile also giving an introduction to those with other tastes."

The six-song release also includes a cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now," which was hand-selected and sung by Black Flag's Keith Morris, and features Peter Case (Plimsouls) on vocals and Mike Watt (Minutemen) on bass. Other tracks feature other Black Flag members, such as Dez Cadena and Kira Roessler, as well as Blondie's Jimmy Destri, The Chapin Sisters, and Joe Baiza (Saccharine Trust).

Track Listing:

1. "Rise Above" featuring Dez Cadena (Black Flag/ Misfits) on lead vocals and Jimmy Destri (Blondie) on organ

2. "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie" featuring Kira Roessler (Black Flag) on lead vocals and The Chapin Sisters on backing vocals

3. "Six Pack" featuring Dez Cadena on lead vocals and Mike Watt (Minutemen) on bass

4. "Nervous Breakdown" featuring Kira Roessler on lead vocals and The Chapin Sisters on backing vocals

5. "In the Jailhouse Now," a Jimmie Rodgers cover featuring Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks) and Peter Case (Plimsouls) on vocals, Mike Watt on bass, and Joe Baiza (Saccharine Trust) on guitar

6. "Thirsty and Miserable" featuring Dez Cadena on lead vocals and Jimmy Destri on organ

Just announced: Sufjan Stevens joins Clogs for special Big Ears performance; Adrian Belew, William Basinski, Liturgy, Konk Pack, Abe Vigoda, Ches Smith also join weekend lineup.

By Blurt Staff

The second Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee during the weekend of March 26 - 28, 2010 continues to expand with Sufjan Stevens, Adrian Belew, William Basinski, Liturgy, Konk Pack, Abe Vigoda, and Ches Smith now slated to join the lineup.

In addition the festival has unveiled some of the unique and rare performances to be experienced this year.

* Sufjan Stevens along with Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of The National and Shara Warden (My Brightest Diamond) will be joining Clogs in their performance of the new song cycle ‘The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton.' Big Ears 2010 will feature the only live performance of the piece currently scheduled with all of the guest vocalists from the recording, which is slated to be released in early March.

* Electronic ambient composer Tim Hecker will be collaborating for the first time with composer/ performer Ben Frost, each of whom will also be performing separately during the weekend.

* The Bang on a Can All-Stars will perform a program of pieces written for them by the Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth and Thurston Moore as well as Michael Gordon and Evan Ziporyn.

* In addition, Bang on a Can will perform Brian Eno's ‘Music for Airports' in a special show with the Books and Tim Hecker.

* Rock guitar legend Adrian Belew (Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, King Crimson) will introduce his new solo work during the festival.

* Aritst-in-residence Terry Riley's series of programs during the festival weekend will also feature some rarely heard work. Riley will perform a concert on the extraordinary new pipe organ at the University of Tennessee's Cox Auditorium, presenting music commissioned in 2008 by the LA Philharmonic to christen the pipe organ at Disney Hall. This will mark the first time that the program has been presented outside of Los Angeles.

   Riley will also perform his rarely heard recent work, Autodreamographical Tales, with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, prior to a performance of his legendary masterwork, In C, with an all-star cast of festival performers. In addition, Riley will perform other solo work as well as with his quartet, featuring electric violin virtuoso Tracy Silverman, guitarist Gyan Riley, and drummer Ches Smith (of Secret Chiefs 3 and Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog). The Calder Quartet will also present a program of Riley's string quartets as well.

The Big Ears Festival also marks a couple of other exciting "firsts":

* It will be the first time the Dutch punk anarchists The Ex have ever performed south of the Mason Dixon line in their 30 year history...and the festival finale will feature the long-awaited return of the National, who will debut new material from their much anticipated new album to be released in May.

The full schedule of concerts will be announced today, Wednesday, February 17th, and tickets for the new shows will go on sale Friday, February 19th at 10:00 am. Tickets are already on sale for many of the major concert events of the weekend, and a limited number of "Inner Ear" all access weekend festival passes are still available as well.

Tickets are available through www.bigearsfestival.com or by calling 865.684.1200 ext. 2 between the hours of 10:00am and 5:00pm eastern.

Additional elements of the Big Ears Festival weekend will be revealed in the coming weeks, including surprise collaborations, art installations, a film program, workshops, lectures, interactive experiences, and more.

BIG EARS 2010 is celebrating the 75th birthday year of the legendary American minimalist composer, Terry Riley. The National's Bryce Dessner is co-curating the weekend.

Artists performing include Vampire Weekend, the National, Joanna Newsom, Andrew W.K., St. Vincent, The xx, the Calder Quartet, Iva Bittova, Tim Hecker, Nico Muhly, Ben Frost, Sam Amidon, Doveman, jj, and more.

More festival details, including travel and hotel information and up-to-the-minute news and additions to the schedule and line-up, are available at www.bigearsfestival.com .

Not just for the toddlers in the house....

By Blurt Staff

Nickelodeon premieres the third season of the award-winning preschool music series Yo Gabba Gabba! on Monday, March 8, at 10:30 a.m. (ET/PT).  The new season commences with a week of brand-new episodes featuring Sarah Silverman, Weird Al Yankovic, Black Kids, Jack McBrayer, Paul Scheer, Weezer, Anthony Bourdain, Of Montreal, Mos Def, Devo, The Aquabats, Mark Mothersbaugh, Biz Markie and a special remix by Travis Barker, Monday, March 8 - Friday, March 12, at 10:30 a.m. (ET/PT).  Yo Gabba Gabba! is created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz.

Future guest stars for season three include: Fred Armisen, Erykah Badu, Band of Horses, Blitzen Trapper, Chairlift, Rob Dyrdek, The Faint, Flaming Lips, The Killers, Solange Knowles, Mix Master Mike, Angela Kinsey, The Sounds, Taking Back Sunday, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Charlyne Yi and John Francis Daley, Samm Levine and Martin Starr from "Freaks and Greeks."  In addition, Biz Markie is back with his regular "Biz's Beat of the Day" segment teaching preschoolers how to beat-box, singer/illustrator/composer Mark Mothersbaugh returns in his recurring "Mark's Magic Pictures" drawing segment and Jack McBrayer and Paul Scheer visit with their recurring "Knock Knock" joke segment.

Here's what's going to happen during that first week:

• Monday, March 8 - "Circus" - Weird Al Yankovic plays the circus ringmaster; Sarah Silverman teaches the "Time to Mime" dancey dance and Black Kids sing the original Yo Gabba Gabba! song, "We Love Clowns." The episode also features Jack McBrayer and Paul Scheer telling a "Knock Knock" joke and Mark Mothersbaugh in his "Marks' Magic Pictures" segment.

• Tuesday, March 9 - "Bugs" - Weezer performs an original Yo Gabba Gabba! song, "My Friends Are All Insects" and Mark Mothersbaugh is featured in his "Mark's Magic Pictures" segment. The episode also features a special remix segment arranged by Travis Barker.

• Wednesday, March 10 - "Doctor" - Anthony Bourdain plays the doctor when Toodee gets sick. Of Montreal performs an original Yo Gabba Gabba! song "Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast!" and Biz Markie is featured in the "Biz's Beat of the Day" segment.

• Thursday, March 11 - "Superhero"- Mos Def plays a superhero; Devo performs their song "Watch Us Work It;" Biz Markie is featured in the "Biz's Beat of the Day" segment and The Aquabats perform a "Numbers" segment.

• Friday, March 12 - Encore of "Circus"

DFA artist's mix is a love letter to classic house, mixed live on turntables. Includes exclusive track featuring Nancy Whang & Jerry Fuchs

By Blurt Staff

Juan MacLean is the latest to assemble a mixtape for Studio !K7's long-running DJ-Kicks series, due April 27, and the label is calling it "a timely lesson in the enduring spirit of house music." The artist himselve describes the process of putting it together as an "existential tailspin." 

"I really wasn't joking in the liner notes when I said that in the six months I knew I was going to do this mix, I spent most of the time agonizing over the relevance of doing a DJ mix in 2010," says MacLean. "So much about DJ-ing has changed in the last 10 years. It seems that anyone at home can make their own mix, whether they're a proper DJ or not. Which begs the question, why bother putting them out at this point?"

"So at the end of the day I just came back to where I had started, which was basically wanting to do something that was representative of where I'm coming from in producing my own music, and also focusing on the current house music scene."

Pumping, sweaty house music at its purest, from the churning pianos to the chopped-up vocals. Surprising? Maybe: DFA, the label MacLean calls home, is best known for post-punkish indie dance, and label co-founder James Murphy's dance-floor tastes run mostly to vintage disco. But MacLean is undoubtedly DFA's resident house aficionado, something you might have guessed from his anthemic 2008 single "Happy House," a homage to '90s piano house.

That track bookends MacLean's DJ Kicks, which opens with the beatless strains of Ian Breno's dub and closes out with Holy Ghost's Alex Frankel's Rhodes-infused remix. Along the way, it arcs through 72 minutes of peak-hour energy, mixed live with two turntables, a couple of filters and a tape delay. The approach may be old-school, but the sound is simply classic, reflecting MacLean's taste in timeless grooves and the raw, spontaneous, ecstatic energy of a dance floor in motion. The mix is also impeccably shaped, with a tracklist accounting for the natural ebb and flow of the crowd's energy, and a couple clever codas easing us gently back down from the climax.

One of the cornerstones of the mix is an exclusive track from The Juan MacLean enditled "Feel So Good."  The track features a vocal from DFA contributor Nancy Whang and a drum loop from The Juan MacLean's longtime drummer Jerry Fuchs, who was tragically killed in an accident last year.  It's an upbeat and sweaty dance track that embodies the classic house influence heard throughout the mix.

The oldest cut on the mix, Armando's "Don't Take It," dates back to 1988, when it was recorded in one take in a legendary Chicago after-hours session. Detroit, normally remembered as the birthplace of techno, gets its due with a Theo Parrish remix of Rick Wilhite's 1996 tune "Get On Up," originally released on Moodymann's KDJ label. Otherwise, the mix sticks largely to recent material, though you'd never know it from the sound of the tracks themselves. Without ever coming off as willfully retro, any of them sound like they could have been recorded at any point in the past 20 years.

One of the striking things about the setlist is its international scope, which flits through Glasgow (6^th Borough Project), Berlin (Florian Meindl, Alex Niggemann), Buenos Aires (Manuel Sahagun) and even Adelaide, Australia (Sonny Foderra). Just consider Shit Robot's "Simple Things (Todd Terje Remix)": here's a track made by a Dubliner now living in Stuttgart, remixed in Oslo and released on a New York label. It's a great proof of just how universal a language house music has become.

And ultimately, MacLean's DJ Kicks is all about achieving that universal vibe, unconcerned with populist trends or trainspotters' disdain.

"As a DJ," says MacLean, "I've been wrestling with the idea: how much are you an artist, with your own aesthetic principles, and how much are you an entertainer? I've always found it interesting to grapple with those two ideas, rather than throw yourself in either direction. It's easy to be self-indulgent and stay cool and make the proper moves.  It's also easy to just play hit after hit, which most people do. But to somehow wrestle with those two things and emerge with something that considers both, seems more interesting."

Interesting it is. Fortunately for us, MacLean's DJ Kicks doesn't stop there. A love-letter to house music penned by one of the music's most sincere (and well-schooled) admirers, it's a sweet, sweaty, wide-ranging set that wraps you up in chugging grooves. At a time of proliferating podcasts and fly-by-night mixtapes, it's a welcome change of pace: a mix that makes its case the old-fashioned way, one perfect blend at a time.

It's the video catfight of the century! Sorta...

By Fred Mills

A month or so ago the news arrived of Nashville all-girl band the Black Belles and ghe garage combo's forthcoming single on Jack White's Third Man label. Now  we've gotten a closer look at the quartet via the new video - that White himself directed - for their song "What Can I Do?" A performance clip (lip synched) shot in black and white, it's pretty striking.

Meanwhile, it's been a long time since we posted any news about Avril Lavigne - actually, we've NEVER posted any news about Avril Lavigne, and for good reason, other than some cheesecake pics we found on a smutty website. It's for her own new single "Alice," which as you probably know has something to do with the new Tim Burton flick Alice in Wonderland. Filmed in full color with lots of expensive visuals, it's, uh, also striking, although the music itself is like one extended shriek guaranteed to give you a migraine. It was unveiled yesterday by Sony and quickly appeared all over the web until the record label had YouTube remove the embed code - which as we all know, is pretty ass backwards in 2010, but no matter.

Since at this point you're probably dying to glom onto these two videos, we've got the Black Belles below (sensibly, they left the embedding intact) and if you really, really gotta see Avril, go here to her official YouTube kiosk. Let us know who you think's hotter!

Now we know what we can do with our old VHS camera stashed away down in the basement.

By Fred Mills

Over in the BLURT CD reviews section we have today a review of the new Seven Fields of Aphelion album, Periphery, released this week on Graveface. SFoA is, of course, the female keyboard player for Black Moth Super Rainbow and the album, in our reviewer's words, "could serve as the music for the morning after a Black Moth show or in some cases, the cushion needed as a comedown after the band melts the brain."

We've got a couple of MP3s from the album you can check out too:

"Grown"

"Mountain Mary"

Meanwhile, she has also done a video for the song "Michigan Icarus," posted below. Of the clip, she says, "The video was recorded on an old VHS-C camcorder in and around Pittsburgh, PA.  I wanted to experiment with some of the same ideas and techniques I use in taking multiple exposure still photographs, but apply those ideas to moving pictures instead. I've always wanted to follow power lines as far as they stretch -  crossing state lines,  hanging off the hillsides, cutting across rivers, walk their clear cut paths through the woods - to see what exists where those lines end.   We tend to filter out all of these lines that run endlessly across the sky - we push them into the periphery - when they're right there in front of us."

The Seven Fields of Aphelion 'Michigan Icarus' from graveface records on Vimeo.

UK band releasing videos as lead up to new album.

By Blurt Staff

Remember we told you a month ago that the long-overdue new album from Archie Bronson Outfit, titled Coconuts, is coming out March 23 on Domino? Well, each day leading up to the UK release date (March 1^st) the band will be unveiling a brand new video to accompany each album track. From March 1st on, you will be able to watch all the videos and hear the album in its entirety. The complete video series will be available free with album purchase on iTunes as well.

You can already watch a new a version of the first single "Shark's Tooth" at the band's official website. It's directed by Hoola Films.

Watch BLURT for an exclusive interview with the band shortly before the album's release, too. We're pretty sure it'll make you slap your head and shout "Derdang, derdang, derdang, derdang..."

Fruits of the collaboration will come to bear in April.

By Blurt Staff

UK songstress Laura Marling will release her sophomore album, I Speak Because I Can, on Astralwerks Records on April 6^th. Produced by Ethan Johns - Ryan Adams' producer and collaborator - it's the followup to Marling's Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Alas I Cannot Swim. 

Recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in outside London, the album features the talents of her backing band Mumford & Sons, who have been getting a good deal lately for their own album Sigh No More (not all of it good - see the Pitchfork review here).

According to the label, I Speak Because I Can "reveals a new side to Laura Marling, whose debut was released when she was only seventeen years old.  Its ten songs are imbued with a new richness, ripeness and sophistication, marked by homespun tales and sparse instrumentation.... It showcases not only Marling's ability to tell one hell of a story, but her incredible guitar playing, which has grown more intricate since her first album."

The Ethan Johns connection, incidentally, isn't random, as Marling has noted before that a lot of records he's worked on in the past (by Adams, along with Ray LaMontagne, Kings of Leon, Emmylou Harris, Sarabeth Tucek and more) had a big influence on her growing up. She says she's "long admired his way of working - his use of reels; his quiet, traditional methods of production; the warmth found within the records he produced."

Marling will return to the studio with Ethan Johns within the next few months to work on a second album of new material that will be released in the fall of 2010.  More details on this record will be announced upon its completion.

Marling's already announced a string of UK dates for April; details at her MySpace page.

Track Listing:

1.  Devil's Spoke      

2.  Made By Maid     

3.  Rambling Man     

4.  Blackberry stone 

5.  Alpha Shallows   

6.  Goodbye England         

7.  Hope In The Air            

8.  What He Wrote   

9.  Darkness Descends     

10.  I Speak Because I Can

Brand new offering from the writer who previously blew wet kisses in the direction of Sassy magazine actually gets it right.

BY CRYSTAL K. WIEBE

One part memoir, two parts cultural history book, Marisa Meltzer's Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music (published earlier this month by Faber and Faber) traces the prominence of women in popular music from the riot grrrls to the Spice Girls to all-girl rock and roll camps for tweens, ruminating along the way on the effectiveness of the message of female empowerment inherent within (or at least claimed by) each music and cultural phenomenon.

Although admittedly an avid fan of many of the acts she writes about, Meltzer - who previously co-authored the 2007 book How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time - manages to contemplate the cultural relevance of all of her subjects with fairness and objectivity. For instance, she considers that the riot grrrl bands that boycotted the media may have been a little too idealistic. While being more open may have risked the media further misconstruing the point of the movement, more press would have at least meant that more girls - especially in the Midwest and other pop culturally dry places in the pre-Internet age - were exposed to the themes of self-empowerment and sisterhood that riot grrrls embraced. For, while the "girl power" promoted by the Spice Girls lacked much substance and emphasized consumerism, at least its ubiquity meant that a message of female pride reached the masses. And Meltzer cites scientific findings indicating that even the Spice Girls' watered down version of girl power had some positive impact on the group's young female fans. Along with the riot grrrls and Spice Girls, Meltzer examines the trends of women's (or womyn's) music festivals in the 1990s, female singer songwriters and the rise of sexy pop tarts like Britney Spears.

The author acknowledges that her portrait of the era is biased toward her own tastes. "This book will have a narrow and highly selective focus by design," she writes in the preface. "It's a discussion and an analysis as viewed through the lens of personal experience." Fortunately, the memories she weaves in - like when she felt she was the only long-haired teenage girl in the crowd of a close-cropped Bikini Kill fans - help the academic analysis from becoming too dry and, more importantly, drive home the message that what women do on the musical stage can have a profound effect on the girls in the mosh pit - even after they go home.

If you scratch in cyberspace but no one hears it, can you call it hip-hop? The legendary Skratch Piklz turnbalist has got the answer.

By Blurt Staff

QBert, born Richard Quitevis, often referred to as the Jimi Hendrix of the turntable, is celebrating 25 years at the forefront of scratching and turntablism in 2010.  And in recognition, he is stepping out with the revolutionary ArtistWorks company to offer his services as a Master Teacher of the instrument to anyone, anywhere in the world online at QBert's Skratch University.

What this means out there in the physical world is that no matter where you live, you can study DJing from Qbert. Students watch the hundreds of short, HD videos QBert has posted, then upload video themselves practicing the patterns and techniques, at which point Q offers advice and critique via his own video response.  

The cost is $60 for three months, which as Qbert's handlers are quick to point out, "is less than you'd pay to trek up to Qbert's house for private lessons." Boy howdy to that!

Doing a full career overview + passing out some free goods.

By Fred Mills

Australia's The Church have just announced the "An Intimate Space" tour of North America for April and May. The acoustic outing isn't merely to promote the recent Untitled #23 (Second Motion Records) album, however, as the plans are to cover, in a rather unique fashion, their full 30 year career.

At the shows the band will do a track from each of their albums - but in reverse chronological order. Or, as the band puts it, "This original show will have the audience gliding softly down through the years, opening with a track from Untitled #23 before embarking on a fantastic voyage through time ultimately arriving at the first Australian album, Of Skins And Heart where it all began."

But wait, there's more. The band has put together an exclusive EP, Deadman's Hand, which features the title track plus unreleased material, and concertgoers will all receive free copies of the EP at the shows.

Check out the Church at BLURT:

Untitled #23 album review

 No Certainty Attached Steve Kilbey biography review

Tour Dates:

APRIL
2 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - Coach House
4 - San Diego, CA - Anthology
5 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy
6 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
8 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
9 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox
13 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Café
14 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
15 - Chicago, IL - Park West
17 - Cleveland, OH - The Winchester Tavern and Music Hall
18 - Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag Theatre
19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Café
21 - Boston, MA - TBC
22 - NYC - City Winery
23 - Bay Shore, NY (Long Island) - Boulton Center for the Performing Arts
24 - Sellersville, PA (Philadelphia) - Sellersville Theatre
25 - Falls Church, VA (DC) - State Theatre
27 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage

MAY 1 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage

Mingering Mike-approved soul/funk combo also gets the thumbs up from legendary producer.

By Blurt Staff

A couple of weeks ago the BLURT office was abuzz with the news that outsider artist Mingering Mike had returned and had been commissioned to do the sleeve art for the upcoming album by smokin' Milwaukee soul/funk combo Kings Go Forth, due April 20 on Luaka Bop. We also posted an MP3 of the band that should have further whetted your appetite for the rec.

Now comes more juicy news on the Kings. Shortly after a string of lauded 7" singles set soul music blogs buzzing, the band received an out of the blue call from legendary producer Tom Moulton - the originator of the remix and 12" single format - asking if he could add his magic touch to one of their songs.

The resulting track "Don't Take My Shadow" (A Tom Moulton Mix) appears on the album The Outsiders Are Back and as a 12" containing three mixes out now.

Grab an MP3 of the song - it's a six-minute-plus killer - here at their Luaka Bop artist page.

Tom Moulton originated the remix in the late 1960's with a self-made tape of overlapping songs he created for the Fire Island bar where he worked. He went on to become one of the most influential record promoters and producers of the 60's and 70's and is credited with pioneering the 12" single as a popular format. He's widely quoted as saying "I never made a dance record, I made records you can dance to," which the tune clearly illustrates.

Kings Go Forth are confirmed to play at SXSW in March with additional tour dates to be announced. And yeah, that looks like some trademark Mingering Mike artwork above, too. Sweet.

For Sunday, Feb. 21, we got Glenn Phillips, Darrell Scott, John Hiatt and others - not to mention the devil and the deep blue sea, plus plenty of food and beverages.

By Lee Zimmerman / Photos by Will Byington

Ed. note: This week BLURT contributor Lee Zimmerman is on the annual Cayamo Cruise, which as you'll read below boasts a who's-who of roots and Americana artists playing for (and mingling with) fans traveling on a five-day cruise through the Caribbean. Fittingly enough, the event's called Caribbean on Cayamo 2010: A Journey Through Song. Internet connection willing, Zimmerman will be filing a report each day, so keep checking back to find out who was twanging the loudest, who was singing the sweetest - and who Zimmerman was rubbing shoulders with the hardest. Incidentally, you can also read his report from last year's Cruise elsewhere at the BLURT site.

Attention all ships at sea: Cayamo 2010 has set sail!

This, then, is your daily briefing on all the goings-on, brought to you from our stateroom aboard the Norwegian Dawn, again the home of what may well be the best floating musical event of this day and age. This year's cruise, for example, includes Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile and John Hiatt... and those are just the headliners! The support acts would likely be considered first tier anywhere else - especially when the names include Robert Earl Keen, Buddy Miller, WPA, Darrell Scott, Shawn Mullens, Vienna Teng, Edwin McCain, Stephen Kellogg and Rachel Yamagata. Clearly, we're already breathless with anticipation. As Darrell Scott would remark later during his opening night set, "If this festival was held on land, it would be the best ever."

Here at sea, somewhere between Miami and Costa Mayan Mexico, it sure feels like the landlubbers couldn't disagree.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

My wife Alisa and I meet our friend Dan and his bevy of four beautiful young women who have gathered at his apartment after winging in to Miami from various far-flung locales - Colorado, Oregon, Arizona and Las Vegas.  I'm immediately impressed; Dan's gathered quite an impressive crew of traveling companions, and the fact that he's a single guy immediately draws on a scenario remarkably similar to that cheesy reality show, "The Bachelor." Still, I'm a married guy, and in the first feat of endurance I'll endure in day one, I attempt to refrain from any action that can be deemed as being flirtatious, at least in Alisa's eyes. On the other hand, sucking in my gut seems somewhat mandatory. If you've started to keep score, those would be today's first and second concession to self control.

Dan and one of his guests grab a ride from a friend, leaving Alisa, three of the other girls and me, the sole remaining male, to take a cab to the port of embarkation. No sooner do we arrive than we find ourselves embroiled in a crisis. It seems Alisa has left her make-up bag back in the car which we've parked at Dan's condo. Because we're talking women's make-up here, any decision I'm mulling about whether or not we need to go back to retrieve it quickly becomes a moot point. The girls disperse and Alisa and I jump back in the taxi to retrieve the precious cargo.

Fortunately, Dan's apartment is nearby. Unfortunately, however, a simple $18 cab ride has escalated in cost to well beyond that otherwise reasonable figure and is now closer in proximity to $50. Obviously - and reasonably - Alisa foots the cost.

Arriving back at the port, we quickly join a burgeoning line of passengers waiting their turn to go through security. We're handed health questionnaires asking for two bits of information in particular - have we experienced any severe flu like symptoms in the past 24 hours - specifically uncontrolled bouts of diarrhea - and have we had any up close and personal encounters with anyone claiming to have swine flu... as if someone would approach us and happily announce, "Hey, guess what, I have the desly and contagious swine flu! Now give me a big wet kiss!"

Naturally, the answer would be a resounding ‘no' to both, even though admittedly, I'm trying to repress a cold and I'm gripped by sniffles. However, Alisa, for whatever reason, answers ‘yes' to both. Fortunately, I catch the error in enough time so as to avoid being quarantined. Acts of self control three and four then follow, three being the fact I restrain from telling Alisa she needs to start paying closer attention (in which case she's likely blame it all on me and embarrass me in front of everyone in the queue) and four, my need to refrain from sneezing so that the security folks don't actually think there's a guy on board who's going to infect the entire ship with some ghastly malady.

Luckily, fate seems to be on our side. A short time after we're checked in, the computers go down and there's an hour delay in boarding for those behind us.

As we make our way onto the ship, we're greeted by high-fives from Andy Levine, the head of Atlanta's Sixth Man organization, under whose auspices Cayamo and several other music-themed cruises operate. Andy, always an amiable fellow, engages in a brief exchange over the current pronunciation of ‘Cayamo' - whether its ‘KUY-YAMO' or ‘KAY-YAMO.' "Why don't you just call it ‘Fred'?" I suggest. Okay, not very funny, but it does elicit a chuckle.

***

As anyone who's ever taken a cruise before well knows, two of the biggest lures are the abundance of food - which in my case will further hamper any ability to suck in my gut in front of Dan's friends - and all the friendly folks from various Third World countries whose only aim in life seems to be welcoming the guests and appealing to them to have the vacation of a lifetime. We quickly indulge their desire by attacking the buffet line which offers an otherwise unwieldy combination of carved roast beef, hot dogs, sushi, pizza and various international fare. And that's just the appetizers! My plate alone would likely feed half of a small Asian nation.  What the heck - it's a whole hour and a half until dinner.

***

Oh yeah - there's music too!  We make our way to the atrium to catch the final couple of songs from Edie Carey, a sensitive singer/songwriter type whose mournful repertoire seems a somewhat curious way to kick-off the festivities. We're much more enthralled by Katie Herzig, who we initially encountered on last year's cruise.  Her music is instantly infectious, a combination of winsome material and a pliable vocal that propels her sweet melodies ever upward and makes them worthy of some clapping along.

***

Katie's set finishes just in time to scurry to our cabins where we find only one or our four pieces of luggage have made it to their destination. It's curious, we think. All of our suitcases were handed to the porter at the same time. Was my blue bag separated from the others due to bad behavior?  Suddenly we grow concerned about the fate our missing possessions. Clearly, a tie-dyed tank top and green cargo pants aren't going to be enough to sustain my wardrobe throughout the duration of this cruise. There are rock stars onboard! I gotta muster up some cool!

***

Still, there's no time to ponder that notion. It's time for the mandatory safety drill, the purpose of which seems to be watching fellow passengers lose their way to their assembly stations, giggling at how silly they look in their lifejackets, and watching while the crew patiently attempt to keep their charges from strangling themselves with the safety straps. Quite an educational experience indeed. We do, however, meet our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Judge, he being the CFO of our much beloved Blurt.  CFO in this case, stands for "Cash For Others."  In other words, he's the guy who decides whether there's enough cash in the coffers to pay humble writers like myself. I immediately come to the uncontestable opinion that Stephen is a guy I oughta be nice to.

***

After fulfilling our obligation to look like total boobs in front of the crew, we scurry to the Spinnaker Lounge to catch the first in a series of showcases. Spinnaker, of course, is nautical speak for "Scramble to find the best seat even if you have to climb over other passengers and spill your beverage on them as the venue in general admission, so good luck in finding two seats together." Or something like that. Fortunately we manage to plant ourselves on stage left in anticipation for Glenn Phillips' lead-off set. Phillips, formerly of Toad the Wet Sprocket, is now affiliated with an indie super-group of sorts, WPA, but here he's offering his only solo show of the cruise. A self-effacing master of instantly infectious melodies, Phillips has a lot of fans in the audience, all of whom indulge him as he tries desperately to keep his guitar in tune and not stumble over his lyrics.  Clearly, any missteps only add to his charms.

***

By contrast, Darrell Scott shows himself to be something of a perfectionist, given his nimble guitar playing and equally adept keyboard work. Singing in a soulful croon, he parlays an affecting blend of blues, ballads and an occasional cover via Johnny Cash's mournful "I Still Miss Someone." By now, I'm in a sleep-like state, but the music transcends my sudden exhaustion and sends me soaring with elation.

***

Still, we opt to forego Shawn Mullins' set for now and head up to our cabin for a quick nap. It's nearly 9:00 when we awake. After a quick but satisfying meal, we hurry to the Stardust Theater, the ship's major venue, for our 10:30 headliner show by John Hiatt. We arrive on time only to discover the concert is delayed an hour - to 11:30 to be precise - due to a back-up in the show schedule, which in turn, can be traced to the delay in boarding caused by the computer breakdown earlier. Stephen decides he's too exhausted to stay awake during the gig, but Alisa and I venture on, consoled by the fact we had a nap earlier in the day. We're rewarded by a superb performance, one which finds Hiatt's vocal -- as rich and pliable as molasses -- intoning a generous array of his standards - "Master of Disaster," "Perfectly Good Guitar," "Drive South" et. al. interspersed with selections from his brilliant new album, The Open Road. Equally entertaining are Hiatt's rubbery facial expressions which only seem to accentuate his deadpan humor.  "Thanks for staying up late," he says. "I know it's past your bedtime." As the show coincides at 1:30 AM, we know its past ours. We head to our cabin and collapse.  Day number one of Cayamo cruise 2010 has come to an overdue conclusion.

To be continued...

[Photos of Glenn Phillips and Darrell Scott by Will Byington]

Abetted by a tight band featuring alumni of P-Funk, Prince, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, the guitar maestro polishes off an 11-night residency at The Joint at the Hard Rock & Hotel & Casino on Feb. 20.

By Hal Bienstock

Santana's 1999 comeback album, Supernatural, which has just been reissued in an expanded 20^th anniversary edition, was a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, it brought him to a larger audience than he'd had in decades. But it also positioned him as a pop star, a role a person with his musical ambition would never feel completely comfortable with.

Ever since then, Santana has tried to walk the line between giving new fans hits like "Smooth" and "Maria Maria," pleasing classic rock-heads with "Oye Como Va" and "Black Magic Woman" and giving himself the space to explore jazz, Latin music, reggae, R&B and Sinatra-style standards. 

Even his current band reflects the dichotomy. A quick look at their credits reveals people who've played alongside Miles Davis, Prince and Dizzy Gillespie sharing the stage with others who point to working with Jon Secada and Gloria Estefan as career highlights.

This can create a sense of dissonance. On this night, Santana and his tight and versatile band, anchored by drummer Dennis Chambers (formerly of Parliament/Funkadelic) and bassist Benny Rietveld, blazed through an array of styles, at various times nodding to Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Bob Marley and John Coltrane. But their impressive work was occasionally undone by a pair of vocalists, who while technically proficient, have an almost complete lack of soul or grit. At times, it was like watching one of the world's best bands backing up singers at a karaoke bar.

Fortunately, vocals never mattered much in Santana's music. And Carlos himself was on top of his game as he wrapped up an 11-night stand at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. (He returns for another run of eight shows beginning on April 21). Just when a song like "Aye Aye Aye/Para Los Rumberos" or "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" was about to dip into Vegas lounge territory, he'd take over with a fiery solo, contorting his body and showing why he's earned his status as a living legend.

If Santana's live show today lacks some of the raw power of his late ‘60s/early ‘70s heyday, he makes up for it with pure mastery. The ten minutes of "Soul Sacrifice" that kicked off the encore are practically worth the price of admission alone, especially when you consider that you could lose twice that much at the blackjack table in that amount of time. And it sure beats the hell out of a night with Celine Dion or The Lion King.

The prolific  finger-picking genius had just completed an album for Thrill Jockey at the time of his death. See a pretty amazing video, below.

By Jennifer Kelly

Jack Rose, who died last December at the age of 38, was one of America's leading acoustic guitar players, an heir to the finger-picking genius of John Fahey, the mystical orchestrations of Robbie Basho. His career, though short, was far from unproductive. He released more than 20 full-length albums over a two-decade period, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others. Luck in the Valley (Thrill Jockey) is his last recording, recorded just months before his death.  

Rose was fascinated with the sounds of pre-war blues, gospel, ragtime and folk. Alongside lyrical raga-blues-flamenco odes like his lovely "Cathedral et Chartes" he would juxtapose jaunty old-time cake-walk tunes. He could astonish you with the pure luminous beauty of a guitar flurry left to hang in the air, but he could also make you tap your foot in time to a strong but archaic sense of swing. On this album, the third in his self-deprecatingly named Ditch Trilogy, recorded live and quickly with friends, Rose drew upon his arcane knowledge of early 20^th century blues. He resurrected classics like Dennis Crumpton and Robert Summers' "Everybody Ought to Pray Sometimes" and W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues". He composed new songs imbued with the rough country swagger, dedicating the gorgeous opener to "bones" player Percy Danforth, and distilling the backwoods like 40 proof liquor into "Lick Mountain Ramble." He brought friends - Fahey scholar and guitar player Glenn Jones, old-time picker Micah Blue Smalldone, Harmonica Dan and his frequent abetters the Black Twig Pickers - in to supplement his dazzling skill. As a result, Luck in the Valley has a lived-in, friendly feel, despite its considerable technical accomplishments.   Whether coaxing oil-slicked rainbows of ambiguous overtone, as on solo cuts like "Tree in the Valley" and "Blues for Percy Danforth", or bouncing along over all-hands hoe-downs like "Lick Mountain Ramble", Rose made the difficulty disappear into a texture of transporting beauty.

Jack Rose died far too young, in the very midst of turning into one of our best guitarists. His last record cannot help but be tinged by melancholy. And yet there's a joy here, too, that comes from hearing an extraordinarily gifted musician working over his craft, surrounded by well-loved fellow-travellers, and making the complex and difficult sound casually, unpremeditatedly wonderful.

[Photo Credit: Tim Bugbee/Tinnitus Photography]

Titled Heaven Is Whenever, it's out on Vagrant May 4. Tour dates below.

By Blurt Staff

The Hold Steady's new album 'Heaven Is Whenever' will be released by Vagrant on May 4 in the U.S. and May 3 in the U.K. and E.U. The album was produced by Dean Baltulonis, who engineered the band's 2004 release 'Almost Killed Me' and produced the followup 'Separation Sunday,' and was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate NY and Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY, with mixing also happening at Wild Arctic.

In a statement, HS frontman Craig Finn said that 'Heaven Is Whenever' is about "embracing suffering and understanding its place in a joyful life.  The lyrics speak a lot about struggle and reward."  Piano and keys take a backseat to guitar on the new record, which also gets production help from guitarist Tad Kubler.  "I really believe the album exposes new elements of the band that we hinted at on other records but weren't able to fully realize until this one," said Kubler.  "Rather than just concentrate on changes in the instrumentation, we made changes to the song writing process."

Recorded in several smaller sessions spread out over a long period of time, the songs on 'Heaven Is Whenever' received the benefit of being tested on the band's recent tours.  There was also a makeshift recording booth set up on the back of their tour bus so songs and musical ideas could be documented as they developed.  Finn said this allowed them to "see what was working and what wasn't.  I believe this record benefits from us working at a more deliberate pace."

Following the release of 2008's critically acclaimed 'Stay Positive,' which gave the band it's highest Billboard chart position to date, The Hold Steady toured relentlessly, playing to some of their biggest audiences to date. The band will kick off a string of tour dates in early April, followed by selected shows in May (including the Sasquatch! festival) then it's over to the UK and Europe in June.

Tracklisting:

1. The Sweet Part of the City

2. Soft in the Center

3. The Weekenders

4. The Smidge

5. Rock Problems

6. We Can Get Together

7. Hurricane J

8. Barely Breathing

9. Our Whole Lives

10. A Slight Discomfort

Tour Dates:

Fri        April 2 Ardsley, NY   LIFE the place to be

Sat       Apr 3   New Haven, CT          Toad's Place

Mon     Apr 5   Burlington, VT            Higher Ground

Tue      Apr 6   Northampton, MA      Pearl Street

Wed    Apr 7   Albany, NY    Linda Norris Auditorium

Thu      Apr 8   Woodstock, NY          Bearsville Theater

Fri        Apr 9   Jermyn, PA     Eleanor Rigby's

Sat       Apr 10 Syracuse, NY  The Westcott Theater

Mon     Apr 12 Rochester, NY            The Club at Water Street Music Hall

Tue      Apr 13 Cleveland, OH            Beachland Ballroom

Wed    Apr 14 Pittsburgh, PA            Diesel Club Lounge

Thu      Apr 15 Morgantown, WV       123 Pleasant St.

Fri        Apr 16 Harrisburg, PA            Appalachian Brewing Company

Wed    May 5  Los Angeles, CA        El Rey Theatre

Thu      May 6  San Francisco, CA      The Fillmore

Sat       May 29            George, WA    Sasquatch Festival

Sat       Jun 12  Newport, UK  Isle of Wright Festival

Mon     Jun 14  Paris, FR                     Fleche D'Or

Mon     Jun 21  Amsterdam, NL          Melkeg

Tue      Jun 22  London, UK   HMV Forum

Sat       Jun 26  Manchester, UK          Academy 2

[Photo Credit: Judson Baker]

Full national tour with Imaad Wasif kicks off in late March.

By Blurt Staff

Psychedelic as fuck combo Dead Meadown have just announced the details surrounding their upcoming record release party / film premiere for their upcoming new album and original film, The Three Kings, out on March 23rd.

Taking place at the historic location of Hollywood Forever Cemetery on March 25th, the event will include the premiere of the DM movie The Three Kings as well as a live performance by the band. The night will include an open bar, free admission and giveaways, special DJ appearances, and a yet to be determined opening band.

There will also be an art showing of low-brow art scene artist Charles Wish. Charles has been a major contributor to DEAD MEADOW art including an animated sequence in The Three Kings and will be showing pieces from the movie.

In addition, Dead Meadow have also announced that any fan who orders an advance copy of Three Kings will be guaranteed a spot on the list for the band's film premiere in Los Angeles. Just email the band at contact@deadmeadow.com and write "get into the gig" as the subject.

Incidentally, if you go to the band's official website www.deadmeadow.com you can hear a pretty smokin' continuous music stream...

Tour Dates:

Premiere:

March 25 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Forever Cemetery - Record Release / Film Premiere

(w/ Imaad Wasif)
Fri Mar-26 Brookdale, CA Historic Brookdale Lodge
Sat Mar-27 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Wed Mar-31 Eugene, OR Wow Hall
Thu Apr-01 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Fri Apr-02 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
Sat Apr-03 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
Wed Apr-07 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge w/ Pack AD
Thu Apr-08 Lawrence, KS Riot Room
Fri Apr-09 Omaha, NE Slowdown
Sat Apr-10 Sioux Falls, SD Nuttys North
Tue Apr-13 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Wed Apr-14 Madison, WI Annex
Thu Apr-15 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
Fri Apr-16 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Sat Apr-17 Athens, OH The Union
Mon Apr-19 Columbus, OH The Basement
Wed Apr-21 Buffalo, NY Mohawk w/ Buffalo Killers
Thu Apr-22 Toronto, ONT Lee's Palace
Fri Apr-23 Montreal, QUE Club Lampi
Sun Apr-25 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

Comedy-rap is normally a tool for clueless tools and that's what makes Raaaaaaaandy's mission of a mixtape so righteous.

By Blurt Staff

It's the alter-ego of Aziz Ansari's complex mind-first seen in Judd Apatow's Funny People-is hosting a hip-hop mixtape of epically-funny proportions. Produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, with help from Baltimore's DJ Granwizerd and LA's The Have...the beats are as good as the jokes. It's no longer funny when the music is this good.

The mixtape's first leak-"Aaaaaaaangry"-puts every rapper in the game on blast for making Raaaaaaaandy & Sitek await their contributions. Bottling every rap fans' angst over Detox's delays, no emcee is safe from Raaaaaaaandy's scathing disses. Whether they laugh or not...it's up to them. But the Internet is fueled behind the comedy/production duo.

A preliminary version leaked onto the web yesterday, so the duo's handlers are sending out "official" versions to the media, complete with new lyrics and quality mastering. According to those in the know, "It doesn't change RZA's outro though...because no stamp of approval is more official than the Wu's."

We'll have the track for ya soon as we're allowed to share it with you, but trust us, it smokes.

 UPDATE: A snippet of the track's on YouTube now.

Massive triple-album collection comes awfully close to being perfect. We're telling ya, almost perfect. She's a voodoo chile, baby, lord knows - she's a goddam voodoo chile.

By Meryl Trussler

If you want to know you know by now, because the floodgates have burst, and you were all there waiting and bracing yourselves for the deluge. Joanna Newsom is a happening. The initiated cannot quite believe we have this happy little anachronism breathing the same California air as, say, Real Housewives. She is our unreal heavenwife and we will be as precious about her as we wish. (Cynics, take this as a warning for what follows.)

So. The third album, itself three albums. Of course it's good, it wasn't going to be anything else; this girl has been a public prodigy since the tender age of 22 and a private prodigy for years untold before that, with her reams of fervid poetry and, if my imagination is configured correctly, probably a thousand cute precocious sayings a day. Joanna Newsom is a state of mind. But I digress. Have One On Me (Drag City) is good but thank the stars it isn't punch-for-punch perfect every second because that might have something of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest factor, or a very potent smack of Stendhal syndrome, and would entertain us to death.

As is only natural with an album spanning two hours, not every song is the sort of distilled bliss that each fifth of Ys provided. Newsom marks a few returns to the 3-minute pop-song, to the shipmatey sass with which The Milk-Eyed Mender was dotted, and to the occasional bouncing piano. Good. Good. But it's a combination of the two previous albums' characteristics which really grabs the heart with two hands and shakes. Harp-led epics with excruciatingly turns of phrase and melody, but with less of a wildhorse quality about the structure than Ys. These songs are both instantly hummable and enduring. ‘'81' does so in 4 minutes of high notes spilling down to low in a traditional, majestic time signature as she trills: "meet me in the garden of Eden, bring a friend, we are gonna have ourselves a time." It's in this moment that that cool floodwater of expectation is really felt. ‘Baby Birch', at 9 minutes, builds more slowly, prettiness repeating, repeating, little scuzzy gasps of guitar behind, until a sudden leap upwards, an offbeat drum, vocal harmonies, and a burst of oriental flowers for the finale.

I first encountered Joanna Newsom in 2005 at Patti Smith's Meltdown festival, for which Smith had chosen to arrange a homage to Jimi Hendrix. Thusly Newsom came onstage, a speck from the nosebleeds, ears and eyes reporting a twelve-year-old. And she sat and played ‘Angel (Sweet Angel)' and ‘Little Wing' on her harp. It seemed an inventive and difficult translation then. Five years later I see how fluid it was. Something about Newsom's compositions proves her a Hendrix child: something about the bluesy warmth, the climbs towards transcendence. Try ‘In California'. It seems to reduce all the lat- and longitude of the state, and all the flavours of Axis: Bold as Love into one anthem. Mountains and deserts and prairies and beaches and Native Americana, a broader scope than most CA songs can manage. Cawing and big bass drums. Joanna Newsom is a miniaturist.

But music criticism must be metonymist. So here. The third disc summarises its partners. Joanna Newsom, it states simply, is the kind of composer who kind of redeems the world in which she lives. ‘Esme' breaks and breaks and breaks; it smashes a galaxy against the rocks to fall in fragments in the river; it reassures its newborn subject that "kindness prevails".  If these 124 minutes can be reduced to one sentiment, which they ostensibly cannot, really - let that be it. That's the feeling you can't deny when you're bonechilled and gasping after the wave.

Don't worry, the facial hair ain't real, folks...

By Fred Mills

Is May here yet? Mark your calendars for May 11: that's when the sibling indiepop chanteuses known as CocoRosie will issue their Sub Pop debut. Titled Grey Oceans, it wil be their fourth overall, following three acclaimed releases on Touch & Go, 2004's La Maison de Mon Rêve, 2005's Noah's Ark, and 2007's Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn.

Three years between albums is an eternity in rock years, however, so here's hoping fans haven't forgotten Sierra and Bianca's lush-yet-edgy song stylings. Tracklisting to the new one is below.

According to Sub Pop, "The nomadic duo (currently and temporarily residing in New Mexico) spent much of 2008 writing and recording in Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Berlin, New York, and  Paris, finding amazing and diverse musicians to collaborate along the way."

As usual, the sisters have something going on with the faux-facial hair thing - check the album art image above, along with the alternative version below.

Track Listing:

Trinity's Crying

Smokey Taboo

Hopscotch

Undertaker

Grey Oceans

R.I.P. Burn Face

The Moon Asked the Crow

Lemonade

Gallows

Fairy Paradise

Here I Come

Another brilliant epitaph for the Man in Black.

By Lee Zimmerman

One would think that six volumes into Johnny Cash's final series of recordings and nearly six and a half years after his passing, the well would have run dry on leftover output... at least in terms of quality material. Happily, that's not the case here, although like those efforts that preceded it, there's a veil of doubt and uncertainty - make that despair and pessimism - that hang over these proceedings like a dark shroud. Cash's preoccupation with death and reflection continues to occupy every note and nuance, his parched vocals informing each of these dark, dire laments. 

Of course, hearing American VI: Ain't No Grave (American Recordings/Lost Highway) in retrospect (even its title proves haunting) following the loss of Johnny and his beloved June in such close proximity proves but knowing and revelatory.  Indeed, that destiny patiently waited even as he toiled towards the inevitable end. 

As a result, much could be made of the somber, sobering traditional title track, the cover of Sheryl Crow's "Redemption Day" and his read of Tom Paxton's "Where I'm Bound," particularly as conveyed from the viewpoint of one who knows he's staring at death straight on.  Other songs veer only slightly (a lovely version of Kris Kristofferson's "For the Good Times" and his own "1 Corinthians" in particular), but still maintain that spectral aura in the sparse settings dictated by producer Rick Rubin.

Likewise, a small contingent of craft-conscious musicians -- Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell and the Avett Brothers, among them - provides supple support.  All told, Ain't No Grave provides Cash with another brilliant epitaph.

For Monday, Feb. 22,, we grill the musical luminaries and take in scintillating sets from Buddy Miller, the WPA and Emmylou Harris.

By Lee Zimmerman / Photos by Will Byington

Ed. note: This week BLURT contributor Lee Zimmerman is on the annual Cayamo Cruise, which as you'll read below boasts a who's-who of roots and Americana artists playing for (and mingling with) fans traveling on a five-day cruise through the Caribbean. Fittingly enough, the event's called Caribbean on Cayamo 2010: A Journey Through Song. Internet connection willing, Zimmerman will be filing a report each day, so keep checking back to find out who was twanging the loudest, who was singing the sweetest - and who Zimmerman was rubbing shoulders with the hardest. Go here to read his report from Day 1. Incidentally, you can also read his report from last year's Cruise elsewhere at the BLURT site.

Okay, so I'm exhausted.

For good reason too. Day Two of Cayamo has consisted of both a frantic afternoon and evening. Sure, this is a plum assignment, but being onboard a luxury cruise liner, stuffing oneself in the buffet line and then attempting to muster up the dexterity to dash back and forth between shows in various venues can be demanding. For all Cayamo offers - and trust me, it provides an abundance of riches for the true music enthusiast - it is not all that relaxing.  Taking advantage of all the music requires a great deal of planning and strategizing in order to catch every performer that's worth seeing - and frankly, that's the great majority of them. Consequently, the exertion in terms of sheer brainpower - something yours truly isn't always adept at - is enough to send one's energy level into overdrive.

Trust me on this too - providing these daily blogs means a certain dedication to a strict work ethic, all in the name of reporting an accurate assessment of the day's activities. So the first order of business this morning is meeting with our press rep/camp counselor/sometime baby sitter, Becki Carr, who does a fantastic job of steering half a dozen befuddled journalists through a course of action. For example, were it not for Becki and my wife, Alisa, these blogs might not even get posted. There are technical difficulties galore when it comes to trying to get an email connection from a ship, including all kinds of limitations that I couldn't begin to explain... except to say one when one forgets his user name on his personal email account, all the miracles of cyberspace suddenly fall by the wayside.

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The first music of the day comes courtesy of a special "alumni show" featuring a one-off duo acoustic performance with Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt. While the two trade songs back and forth, it's their natural rapport that strikes the most distinctive chord. As someone would say later, the two may have invented an entirely new entertainment genre called "sit-down comedy."  It goes something like this:

Hiatt: "We don't know what we're going to play."
Lovett: "I was trying to guess what you were going to play. I've guessed, but I won't be able to tell you if I'm right until later."

Okay, maybe you had to be there.

Nevertheless, the patter isn't preplanned, although having just returned from a joint European tour the two mean have apparently sharpened their skills when it comes to trading zingers... and complements.

Hiatt: "Did you have a good time?"
Lovett: "I had a good time because of you. You're a very nice fellow!"

Suffice it to say, the deadpan sentiment likens the duo to a kind of accidental Smothers Brothers. Consequently, as the crowd files out of the theater, most declare it to be one of the best showcases of the cruise thus far.

The afternoon is dedicated to getting up close and personal with several of the headliners via World Café sessions that are being taped for replay in early April, followed by mini press conferences attended by the artists and the small contingent of journalists onboard. They provide not only an ideal opportunity to ask probing questions like "So, Emmylou Harris, what is your favorite item in the buffet line?" or, "Hey, John Hiatt, did you ever get so seasick you actually barfed from the pool deck?"  I'm joking of course... it was Hiatt who was asked the first question and Emmylou the second...

Nah, fooled ya again!  Blurt would never give me this big-time assignment if they had to worry about the kind of questions I was going to ask the headliners. Then again, my editor probably figured I'd be able to remember my user name too. 

Consequently, what follows are some of the more memorable random comments of the afternoon:

 Alisa (Lee's wife): "I'm feeling woozy... I have to get some fresh air."

Me: "Damn it... I could swear I knew my user name!"
Alisa: "Gurgle, blurp, garoosh, blech... I may be dying here, but you're an idiot!"

Oops, I guess I turned my digital recorder on too soon.

Fast forward to some of the observations of the artists involved:

Robert Earl Keen: "Coming from Austin, I had a fear of Nashville. But what I am today is a direct result of the experience I gained there."

John Hiatt: "I don't write specifically for other people.  I don't know how. When I'm asked, I always end up doing poor imitations of other people's songs."

Emmylou Harris: "I love Cayamo.  It's such a great opportunity to sit in with friends. It's kind of like a cross between a festival and a prison break."

Buddy Miller: "I met my wife Julie when I was auditioning for a band in Austin. She said, ‘Don't hire that guy,' but they hired me anyway."

Keen: "I don't mind doing other people's songs. After all, I didn't invent songwriting.  And I'm sure not the only guy that's doing this thing.  I just want to do material I feel really good about."

Hiatt: "Bring The Family was a turning point for me. I finally had begun to get sober. I stopped drinking, I stopped doing drugs and all of a sudden I had a lot of time on my hands. I got out of my own way. Before, I had zigged when I should have zagged. So I figured I'd use all that extra time to create."

Harris: "I finally gave myself a raise a few years. It meant that I could work less and spend more time at home with my dogs."

Keen: "My favorite writers? Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright, Nick Lowe... I'd have to throw Norman Blake in there too.  And there's a new guy I think is really good named Adam Carroll."

Hiatt: "It's my nature to get restless. I have the billy-goat syndrome. I always want to know what's on the other side of the fence."

Miller: "What makes an album a Buddy record rather than a Buddy and Julie or simply a Julie album? The fact is, Julie's slow.  This last record started out as her record, then it was my record, and then ultimately it became both of our record."

Harris: It's hard for me to write. I have a terrible fear of the blank page, but I know I have to get past it."

Keen: "I think it was Emerson who once said, ‘Imitation is suicide, but self-imitation is worse."

Harris: "When I write a song, it has to pass the truth test. If I'm writing from personal experience, it has to encompass a situation that everyone can relate to. The lyrics have to have that truth to it."

Of course, insight is one thing, but the music also has to speak for itself. 

The three shows we saw later that evening provided proof of that point. Buddy Miller with Emmylou Harris as a special guest, proved that the man had lost none of his instrumental dexterity despite being sidelined by a heart attack and his subsequent triple bypass surgery. "I had no idea what it involved," Miller remarked at one point. "I told the doctors, ‘Fine, I'll have the surgery, but I have to be back on the bus when it leaves in the morning.'" Clearly a crowd favorite, Miller swayed the audience's emotions, not only through a superb performance, but also in giving them the joy of welcoming him back to Cayamo after last year's unfortunate absence. The show was further stoked by a surprise guest appearance from Shawn Colvin, a featured performer from last year's cruise who wasn't booked for any appearances this year. Nevertheless, by gracing the stage unexpectedly with Miller and Harris, the Three Girls and Their Buddy amalgam came just short of a complete reunion.

WPA's performance followed Miller and company in the Spinnaker Lounge, and the sight of the seven members onstage, including the Watkins duo, Sara and Sean, and steel guitar player Greg Leisz, elevated Glen Phillips' already amiable presence to new heights.  The band's mix of pop, roots and bluegrass makes for a remarkably seamless set and yields one sure standard - "Always Have My Love."  It's already a song on which they could rest their reputation.

Finally, we capped our evening with Emmylou Harris' headlining gig in the Stardust Theater. The ever-faithful Buddy Miller provided an ethereal ambiance, with songs such as "Pancho and Lefty," "Red Dirt Girl," and "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight" generally enhancing the sleepy haze we were quickly falling victim to.  Emmylou was superb, of course, but at the end of a hectic, action-packed day, the mellow vibe was kind of akin to the evening's last lullaby. Encore over, we headed straight for bed.

Debut from erstwhile Aereogramme members coming next month.

By Blurt Staff

The Unwinding Hours is the new musical project from Craig B and Iain Cook, former members of Glasgow's critically acclaimed and much-loved Aereogramme. Their debut self-titled album, due March 16 on Chemikal Underground, matches the literate flair of the song-writing effortlessly matched to the duo's musical ambition. Avid cineastes, The Unwinding Hours acknowledge the influence of film on their work by taking their name from a reference buried deep within Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

Aereogramme, of course, had formed in 1998 and released four albums, concluding with 2007's My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go. An eight vinyl deluxe box set of their Chemikal Underground material was released early this year.

The Unwinding Hours started out as a means for Craig to record some of his songs with the help of Iain after the demise of Aereogramme, but with no plans for a commercial release or to play them live. As Iain grew more excited about the material, The Unwinding Hours became a collaborative project, with a very different character to the material they recorded as part of Aereogramme. The album was written and recorded throughout 2008 and 2009, in Iain's own Alucard Studios on the south side of Glasgow (only the drums were recorded elsewhere, by Paul Savage in Chemikal Underground's Chem19). The recording of the album was a leisurely process as Iain was busy with other projects throughout the year so, out of necessity, they only worked on the songs for a few hours a week or fortnight. As Iain says, "There were no expectations or deadlines, so it felt like a really enjoyable and relaxed way of trying out new ideas and seeing if they stuck."

The album opens with the gorgeous slow-burn of Knut: the longest track on the album at just under six minutes, it's an elegant exercise in layered sounds and propulsive dynamics. Iain explains that "It was only during the final stages of the mix that we decided to try out vocals on the track and that's when it totally came to life for me and also tied the song in effectively with the rest of the album. I love this one now and I think it's a nice way to start the record." There Are Worse Things Than Being Alone juxtaposes sweet sounding elements like the acoustic guitar and strings with some very unsettling noise elements. The opening suggestion that "something's wrong..." develops gradually until, by the end of the song and the "Let me out of here, my love..." line, the sweetness is completely engulfed by wave after wave of noise, the creeping claustrophobia of a failing relationship.

Craig elaborates on the album's subject matter, saying, "The main themes throughout the record are of relationships: some ending, some starting, some going well, some going very, very badly. Traces attempts to capture tha