Proceeds of benefit concert go to help children return to their music studies.

On November 20 at 7pm at Largo in West Hollywood, CA, The Section Quartet hosted "A Concert to Benefit School Music Revival". Co-MC'ing the show were comedienne Margaret Cho and singer/songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips.  Artists initially scheduled to perform were Sam Phillips, Van Dyke Parks, Linda Perry, mike watt, Lisa Germano, Wendy & Lisa, Matt Sharp, Jenny O and Grey DeLisle who were joined by Ken Andrews and Kellii Scott (of the band Failure), Vivian Campbell (of Def Leppard) and Murry Hammond (of Old 97s), with more guests to be announced.  

Pictured above are Cho and Phillips performing together at the event. (Photo by Chris Cuttriss.)

All the artists performed in collaboration with The Section Quartet who acted as "house band,"  making for an evening of unique and unforgettable musical moments.  In addition, journalist and co-founding editor of BoingBoing.com Xeni Jardin spoke about her recent trip to Japan to report on the ongoing nuclear crisis for PBS' News Hour program. Eric Gorfain of The Section Quartet will be traveling to Japan to hand deliver 100% of the concert's proceeds to Mr. Naoyuki Seo of the School Music Revival foundation in Tokyo.

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the Fukushima region of Japan decimated the immediate area and created an ongoing nuclear disaster; the images of the disaster beamed around the world in real time shocked and horrified all. As a musician who has spent much of the last 21 years repeatedly visiting and making music in Japan, as well living there for a four year stretch, Gorfain, wanted to help in some way, large or small.  Then, Gorfain discovered that composer Ryuichi Sakamoto had co-founded School Music Revival, an organization devoted to repairing or replacing school instruments damaged or lost in the disaster.  

"While human life was lost in incomprehensible numbers, lives are being put back together, and music plays a large role in mending the mind, as well as the body, so I wanted to help the children of the region get back to ‘normal' life with their music studies as quickly as possible", says Gorfain.

More details:  http://www.schoolmusicrevival.org/purpose_eng.html

The visual brains behind the classic rock film Tommy.

By Fred Mills

Ken Russell, the maverick, frequently over-the-top British director behind the film version of The Who's Tommy as well as the Franz Liszt biopic Lisztomania (which featured a Who vocalist Roger Daltrey in the lead role), passed away yesterday, Nov. 27 at the age of 84. According to media sources he had experienced a series of strokes prior to his death.

Russell's heyday was the ‘70s, with Tommy emblematic for his flamboyant style and in your face visuals (can anyone ever forget the Ann-Margret baked beans scene, or Tina Turner's quivering face and body in her Acid Queen guise). Among his other films were 1969's Women In Love, 1971's The Devils and 1980's Altered States.

[Photo via Wikimedia Commons, by DiVicenzo (2008)

Planning to post 800 concerts when it's all said and done - kinda like Dick's Picks, only more elaborate.

By Fred Mills

It's not the first time that punk legends Fugazi have earned comparisons to the Grateful Dead, and favorable ones at that. Say what you will about the actual stylistic gulf between Ian MacKaye and Jerry Garcia; over the years both bands proved themselves to be at the forefront of cultivating intense fan loyalty, of adhering to a decidedly populist stance in terms of concert and merch pricing and making sure that the folks who care about the band know that the band cares about them in return. (Pearl Jam is another band that's operated along these lines.)

So according to a report in Pitchfork this morning, Fugazi is taking yet another logical step in that general vein, announcing plans to offer up around 800 concerts priced at $5.00 each via the Dischord Records new Fugazi Live Series website. You can already check it out in the beta stages, with an initial official launch of 130 live shows due December 1. Each gig - culled from 1987 to 2003 - will have archival content (photos, posters, etc.) in addition to the actual music, and the site will be fully browseable via date, location and song.

How could we not resist posting that photo?

By Blurt Staff

Metal band A Band of Orcs have been working on new concept album about killing giants.  According to their handlers, The Orcs are "working with a human" known as Juan Urteaga whose most recent credit is Unto The Locust by Machine Head. The artwork is being created by Chuck Lukacs. 

You can check out the Orcs' first Studio Update for their new album which features Oog smashing his drums. And you can also get involved with their new KickStarter Campaign.  We are advised, "since most earthly establishments do not accept human blood as monetary payment, the Orcs are having humans help out with the process by [donating money] and will reward the generosity of their human fans by including their names in the albums liner notes, giving away free album downloads, autographed albums, T-shirts, Orc Miniatures, and more!

1978 album still considered a classic. Meanwhile, check that "compact disc digital audio" photo, above.

By Blurt Staff

On Dec. 6 Steve Forbert will reissue his 1978 debut album, Alive On Arrival as a two-disc set that will include a newly remastered version of the original recording plus a bonus CD of session outtakes and period live tracks. The original LP has been consistently voted by music critics as one of the best debut albums of all time.

Rolling Stone raved that on the album Forbert "attacked his acoustic guitar fiercely, took raw, careening harmonica solos, and sang in a manner nobody had heard before--hoarse, almost whispering at times, but with a sure command of texture and nuance and a sense of high drama." Paul Nelson, in the Rolling Stone review of the record, said that "Nothing in this world is going to stop Steve Forbert, and on that I'd bet anything you'd care to wager."

Best known for his 1980 hit single "Romeo's Tune," Forbert has released fourteen studio albums, performs over one hundred concerts a year (songs such as "Goin' Down To Laurel," "What Kinda Guy?" and "You Cannot Win if You Do Not Play" from his debut are still staples of the live show) and is currently in the midst of working on a new record to be released in 2012.

Tracklisting:

Disc One: "Alive On Arrival" (remastered)

1.     Goin' Down To Laurel

2.     Steve Forbert's Midsummer Night's Toast

3.     Thinkin'

4.     What Kinda Guy?

5.     It Isn't Gonna Be That Way

6.     Big City Cat

7.     Grand Central Station, March 18, 1977

8.     Tonight I Feel So Far Away From Home

9.     Settle Down

10. You Cannot Win If You Do Not Play

Disc Two: Bonus studio and live recordings

1.     It's Been A Long Time ("Alive On Arrival" outtake)

2.     House of Cards ("Alive On Arrival" outtake)

3.     Song For The South ("Alive On Arrival" outtake)

4.     Steve Forbert's Moon River ("Alive On Arrival" outtake)

5.     Lonesome Cowboy Bill's Song ("Alive On Arrival" outtake)

6.     It's Been A Long Time (Live at The Other End 12/20/78)

7.     You Cannot Win If You Do Not Play ("Arriving Live" promo EP)

8.     Steve Forbert's Midsummer Night's Toast ("Arriving Live" promo EP)

9.     Steve Forbert's Moon River ("Arriving Live" promo EP)

10. Leaves in the Wind (CBGB solo demo recording 1977)

11. Goin' Down To Laurel (Original Meridian, MS demo 1976)

Sept. 30 at the Water Street Music Hall, it was a Roar-ing good time.

Text & Photos By April Engram

A humbled and charged Joy Formidable descended upon Rochester's Water Street as they neared the end of their headlining U.S. tour in support of debut album The Big Roar. The Welsh trio has quickly gained a following since their 2009 EP A Balloon Called Moaning; with the recent U.S. release of Roar the band got a chance to drown fans from across the pond with their kinetic music.

Joy Formidable's reputation for putting on a great live performance preceded them and they wasted no time in awing the audience with their loud, shoegaze tunes; first, drummer Matt Thomas had to battle a leaky pipe dripping water on his set. After a stage hand comically, and unsuccessfully, attempted to throw a towel around the highly suspended pipe he found a stool, stood on it, and securely tied the cloth...the audience applauded. With all other instruments soundchecked and Thomas ready to go Ritzy Bryan (guitar, vocals) and Rhydian Dafydd (bass, vocals) emerged from backstage; their presence encouraged a second round of applause from the eager crowd. Bryan greeted everyone and Joy Formidable leapt into the music.

Thomas was amazing on the drums as he pulverized his kit while Bryan and Dafydd purposefully - and dangerously - collided. Bryan intentionally stumbled backwards into Dafydd's bass and he shoved her away; he swayed with the music into Bryan, she kicked him back to his station. Their angst-filled energy was surely intensified by their amped music while Thomas, quite contradictorily, wore a beaming smile for the entire performance.

Despite a short setlist, Joy Formidable fans enjoyed every moment and sang along with Bryan. When the familiar bass riff intro to "Austere" began people cheered and applauded. Near the songs' end the band quieted as Bryan's voice soared over the audience's rhythmic claps before the expected explosion of music filled the music hall. Bryan thanked Rochester for the reception and confessed that she's amazed that a little band from Wales could drum up such a crowd, "I'm always surprised people show up" she joked.

Before the night was through one song that didn't appear on The Big Roar, "Ostrich" made the cut with darker track "Buoy" leading us to the finale. Of course "Whirring" would be last; now the customary end to a Joy Formidable performance the nearly seven minute song concludes with a furious, high octane four minutes of music. Yet there is nothing like experiencing "Whirring" live; Bryan throws her guitar to the floor and turns her attention to her effects board, she and Dafydd beat drums while Thomas goes even crazier on the drums. When the song was over Bryan and Dafydd waved their farewell to the audience, Thomas threw his broken drum sticks into the air, high fived fans in the front row, jumped off the stage into the crowd and disappeared backstage.

Though the performance excluded some great songs from The Big Roar that could've extended the night, Joy Formidable always proves to be a fantastic live act.

Setlist:

A Heavy Abacus

The Magnifying Glass

Austere

Ostrich

The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade

Cradle

Buoy

Whirring

He wasn't kidding about smashing stuff, apparently. Meanwhile, Bob Mould has yet to comment.

By Fred Mills

Smashing Pumpkins' mainman Billy Corgan has become a professional wrestling promoter, partnering with a pair of veteran promoters to form Resistance Pro. According to a report filed by Billboard.com, the company, which includes Gabe Baron and Jacques Baron, will have its first show tonight, Nov. 25, in Chicago.

"We have to start in Chicago and build a name for ourselves and build enough of a reputation to take it other places," Corgan told Billboard. "It's a serious endeavor. I want this to succeed strictly on its ideas. If I had to artificially prime the audience because of my musical life that's sad. This is going to succeed on its own ideas, not because I jumped the shark."

Added Gabe Baron, "This is a guy who is on the same page as we are as far as how wrestling should be. They're going to feel the excitement of a rock concert but with the thrill and spectacle of wrestling."

Also quoted in the story is Scott Beekman, author of Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America, who observed, of the rock-wrestling connection, "At a certain level I think they appeal to similar audiences. There is this notion that you're gearing toward adolescent males. There's also this flash of wrestling and rock that's related, the pyrotechnics, the announcements."

Well there ya go!

Then issue blanket denials, natch.

By Perez Mills

RollingStone.com reports: "Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell has outraged Brazilian music fans by claiming that they are "uneducated about music" in an interview with Folha de S. Paulo, the nation's biggest newspaper."

Apparently there had been a big ticketing snafu when tickets went on sale for Brazil Lollapalooza and Farrell was in the hot seat.  After the story with the offending quotes was published Brazil music fans bombarded Twitter with anti-Farrell comments, so Farrell himself took to Twitter and posted a series of tweets, denying the comments and claiming he'd been misquoted, and that he "loves and respects" the country.

Best reason NOT to go to the local mega-mall this year...

By Fred Mills

Tha annual Record Store Day held the third Saturday in April has become the equivalent of Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and the 4^th of July all rolled into one for music headz and record collectors. By all accounts it's been a huge success for bands, stores and fans alike. The organizers aren't resting on their laurels, however: they're also doing a version of it today, aka Black Friday.

It's not specifically RSD Pt.2, however - more like bonus beats. According to the RSD website, under Black Friday FAQs, we learn the following:

"In the past Black Friday was an American event celebrated by large corporate retailers as a shopping day that promoted mass produced items at super low prices in hopes of driving customers into their stores. RSD's Black Friday subverts the model and creates pieces of art in the form of limited special editions, often numbered, from some of the most revered artists of our time. RSD's version of Black Friday is an excuse to celebrate the specialness of music in our lives by putting out these unique releases. In other words, cheapness is not a main goal. Celebrating art is.

"The special releases for Record Store Day are made to be sold solely at independently owned record stores on the day that Record Store Day takes place (the third Saturday of every April) whereas Black Friday releases are made for the holiday season. This means stores will launch the special releases on Black Friday but may choose to carry them beyond Black Friday (as supplies last). 

These independently owned record stores/shops will also choose whether or not they want to sell their Black Friday releases on their websites to draw attention to the fact that many of them offer an excellent customer service option for those who wish to support independently owned record stores via internet purchases during the holiday season and beyond."

It should be pretty awesome, however. Take a look at some of this year's proposed releases - the full list can be found here, and more are sure to be added - and meanwhile, start scoping out your favorite store and talk to them directly about what they plan to carry.

Syd Barrett: "Mick Rock: Syd Barrett - the Photographs of Mick Rock" 7" 45

Beastie Boys: Hot Sauce Committee Part Two Book/Blu-Ray/DVD/CD
The Beatles: The Singles 7" vinyl box set
The Black Keys: "Lonely Boy" 12" single

Byrds: "Eight Miles High" & "The Tiems They Are A Changin'" 7"ers

Miles Davis: Miles Davis Quartet" 10" LP

Doors: LA Woman 7" vinyl box set
Bob Dylan: "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" 7" vinyl box set

Justin Townes Earle: "Slippin' and Slidiin'" 7"

Fear: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Iron & Wine: "Morning Becomes Eclectic" LP/CD (Live at KCRW)
John Cale: EP: Extra Playful
John Lennon: Imagine 40th Anniversary Box Set
Nirvana: Nevermind -The Singles 10" vinyl box set

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Kiss My Amps Live vinyl LP
Pinback: "True North" 7"

Pink Floyd: The Wall 7" vinyl box set
Ryan Adams: "Do I Wait"/"Darkness" 7"
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings: Soul Time! LP
Soundgarden: Live on I-5--Before the Doors Soundcheck EP 10" colored vinyl

Pete Townshend: The Quadrophenia Demos Vol. 1 10" LP

Warren Haynes: "River's Gonna Rise" 7"

Wheedle's Groove: Seattle's Finest in Funk & Soul 1965-79 7" vinyl box

Wilco: "Speak Into the Rose" 10" (pictured at top, above)

Yardbirds: "Ten Little Indians" & "Ha Ha Said the Clown" 7"ers

UPDATE, NOV. 26: Folks gradually realized that the videos they had posted were inoperative and switched over to the YouTube version. Meanwhile, at Drake's blog another Vimeo version was posted.

Hint: it's on YouTube, not Vimeo.

By Fred Mills

Blink, and you missed it. Wait - blink again, and it's back. No, wait - you have to change the channel first.

We're talking the official new video from The Weeknd, "The Knowing," a seven-minute short sci-fi film ("Planet Ethio X," anyone?) directed by Mikael Columbu, and a track originally on the band's mixtape House of Balloons. Watch it below:

But the twist is this: last night it was posted at Drake's October's Very Own blog via Vimeo and subsequently got picked up by a slew of other online media portals (including the Chicago branch of the Drake fan club,  Pitchfork, natch). By this morning, however, it had been taken down, with an onscreen message reading, "Sorry. This video does not exist." Savvy marketing to pimp up demand? Who knows - and who cares, because it was also very quietly posted to YouTube by the band!