Album due on Bloodshot - check out the video of the Wilco cover, below. Tour dates, too.

By Blurt Staff

Chicago post-punk soul outfit JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, who recently signed to Bloodshot, will be dropping their debut for the label, Want More, on Oct. 25. The fiery combo is fresh off performances opening for Robert Plant, Fitz and The Tantrums as well as a featured appearance at the Wilco-curated Solid Sound Festival.

In fact, check ‘em covering Wilco's classic track "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart." Good god, folks, this stuff will tear off your shoelaces ‘n' braces like nobody's bizness.

JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound - JCBUS for brevity's sake, not to be confused with JSBX of course (although there might be some comparisons to had) -  serves up, in the label's words, an "11-song, sweat-filled house party featuring the band's pure and uncompromising soul music that ranges from dance-punk booty shakers and garage rock thumps, to upbeat on-the-one workouts and aching R&B ballads."

Now you know that sounds like something right up Uncle Blurt's alley, kids. The band will touring, like, forever starting next month, and all reports have 'em burning the house down, so don't forget to wear flame-retardant attire.

Tracklisting:

Want More

Everything Will Be Fine

I Got High

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

Don't Lock the Door

Baaadnews

To Love Someone (That Don't Love You)

I Can See Everything

Missing Things

Sister Ray Charles

Awake

Tour Dates:

Uncensored mix, at that.

By Blurt Staff

"Spread it if you dig it!"

Thus speaketh El-P's handlers, of the artist's new single for Adult Swim, "Drones Over BKLYN," the uncensored mix in fact (never mind what the cover art, above, says). Far be it from us to disobey a direct order since we do, in fact, dig it.

Download: "Drones Over BKLYN"

Comes from forthcoming album Metals. Check tour dates below too.


By Blurt Staff


She's all over the internet - over the past several days, the most blogged-about artist, even! So far be it from us to break the chain. Here's the new song, "How Come You Never Go There."

How Come You Never Go There by Feist





Tour dates:

Oct 15 Amsterdam, Holland / Carre Theatre
Oct 17 London, UK / Palladium
Oct 19 Brussels, Belgium / Cirque Royale
Oct 22 Berlin, Germany / Tempodrom
Oct 29 Philadelphia, USA / World Café Live 20th Anniversary
Nov 02 Brooklyn, USA / Howard Gilman Opera House
Nov 04 Chicago, USA / Riviera Theatre
Nov 06 Atlanta, USA / Tabernacle
Nov 08 Dallas, USA / Majestic Theatre

Nov 12 Los Angeles, USA / Wiltern Theatre
Nov 14 San Francisco, USA / Warfield Theatre
Nov 16 Portland, USA/ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Nov 17 Seattle, USA / Moore Theatre
Nov 18 Vancouver, Canada / Performing Arts Centre
Nov 20 Edmonton, Canada / Northern Alberta Jubilee

Nov 21 Calgary, Canada / Jack Singer Concert Hall

Dec 01 Toronto, Canada / Massey Hall
Dec 03 Montreal, Canada / Metropolis
Dec 05 Ottawa, Canada / National Arts Centre
Dec 06 Quebec City, Canada / Grand Theatre Du Quebec

Will only be available in indie record stores. Somewhere, John Maus is gritting his teeth.

By Blurt Staff

Neon Indian will be releasing their new album, Era Extraña, on September 13. Three weeks prior to release, on August 23, many of the finest independent record shops across the country will be selling an exclusive double A-side 7" with album tracks ("Polish Girl"/"Fallout") for $2.

STREAM: "Polish Girl" & "Fallout" -

http://neonindian.com/music/

 It's limited to 2000 copies and will only be available at independent record stores - the release is in conjunction with Record Store Day. (Purchase the 7" and you will receive a coupon for $2 off the full length).

Neon Indian also recently announced the launch of its own exclusive mini-synth, which is available as part of a deluxe pre-order package for Era Extraña - read more about it  here.

Tour Dates:

9/09 Long Island, NY Quicksilver Pro New York Music Festival  

9/13 New York, NY Other Music (DJ Set) 6pm 

9/15 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church

9/16 Washington DC - Rock 'n Roll Hotel

9/17 Carrboro, NC - Local 506 

9/19 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade * 

9/20 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree *

9/21 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks *

9/22 Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds *

9/23 Austin, TX - The Mohawk

9/24 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater

9/26 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress

9/27 San Diego, CA - Belly Up Tavern *

9/30 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *

10/1 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop * ^

10/3 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge *

10/4 Vancouver, BC - Venue *

10/5 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe *

10/7 Boise, ID - Reef * ^

10/8 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge * ^

10/10 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater *

10/12 Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar * ^

10/13 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry * ^

10/14 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall * ^

10/15 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop * ^

10/16 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick * ^

10/18 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace * ^

10/19 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa

10/20 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall ^

10/21 New York, NY - Webster Hall ^

11/05 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest

12/01 Miami, FL - Bardot Miami 

* = w/ Com Truise

^ = w/ Purity Ring

For its 10th Anniversary the Great New Orleans Music Festival Spotlighting the Architects of American Music Will Happen on September 16th & 17th.

"When you talk about music events, The Ponderosa Stomp is the real deal! This is three days of unbelievable performances by the artists who started it all."  - Terry Stewart, President, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Through hell and high water, the Ponderosa Stomp has spent the last decade bringing icons of American music back to the stage, shining a spotlight on the architects of American songs that are part of our collective musical DNA.  2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the Stomp, which has expanded over the years from a 2-day concert to include a film festival, music conference, record hop and a DJ dance party. On September 16th and 17th, the Ponderosa Stomp takes over a new venue, the Howlin' Wolf while moving the music conference, film festival and record hop into a central locale, the Renaissance Arts Hotel. 

This milestone year features tributes to the essential New Orleans record man Cosimo Matassa, Stax Records, Excello Records and Southern music with Allen Toussaint, William Bell, Big Jay McNeely, Eddie Floyd, Lady Bo, Sir Mack Rice, Lazy Lester, Dave Bartholomew, The Bo-Keys w/ Skip Pitts and Howard Grimes, Carol Fran, Classie Ballou, Warren Storm, The Sluts and many more. The full line-up is here: http://www.ponderosastomp.com/ponderosa_stomp_10_concert.php

The Ponderosa Stomp Music Conference and Clandestine Cinema Film Series have been unveiled - programming is scheduled for Thursday, Friday & Saturday, September 15-17th. Details - including full ticketing info for the entire event - at www.ponderosastomp.com

Check out some of our past coverage from 2010: http://blurt-online.com/news/view/4217/

Arresting ballet-style interpretative clip for "If You Lie Awake," a song from their forthcoming album.

By Blurt Staff

Mimi Goese (singer/songwriter from ‘80s minimalist punk/pop group Hugo Largo) and Ben Neill (composer/instrumentalist and electro-acoustic inventor) are premiering the video for the track "If You Lie Awake" from their forthcoming record Songs For Persephone (out Aug 30 on Ramseur Records), an album based on their massive multimedia work which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last year.

The album was inspired by new technology and the natural beauty of New York's Hudson Valley, as well as the Hudson River School of painting. Goese and Neill started with a fragment of a different 19th century Romantic piece as the foundation for each of their songs. The songs reflect the increasing influence of classical music in the work of contemporary artists including The National, Sufjan Stevens and the Decemberists. Goese and Neill reference Mahler, Berlioz, Bruckner, and others of the Romantic era to create a new form of lyricism that is contemporary yet colored with the dynamics and patina of the old music filtered through digital processing.

Arcade Fire, Major Lazer, Beirut, Girl Talk, Erykah Badu and others ignited San Francisco at this year's Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival (August 12-14). Pity about Big Boi, though. Check our photo gallery, following the report.

Text & Photos by David Downs

Double-dip recession - that's a guitar move, right? About 180,000 music fans braved San Francisco's mercurial weather patterns and steep, $250 ticket prices to attend the 4^th annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival this weekend. The markets may be see-sawing and London smoldering, but inside the wooded, storied Golden Gate Park - the age's malaise couldn't be found.

Arcade Fire lead singer and guitarist Win Butler said, "These are the times you just pinch yourself. I can't believe I'm being paid to come to San Francisco and play." A veteran of tiny local clubs and more charismatic than ever, Butler directed an ebullient closing set Sunday night which spanned the group's three albums. The Montreal eight-piece are simply titans of the arena now, and "Rococo" and "We Used To Wait" off of The Suburbs went off like bombs.

Butler also said he can die a happy person after playing with soul legend Mavis Staples earlier in the day, a testament to the eclectic 80-band bill masterminded by Berkeley promoters Another Planet Entertainment. From Beirut to Big Boi, Arctic Monkeys to Deadmau5, Outside Lands combined tastes rarely seen together, with only a handful of arrests for what police said were "silly" things.

Preparing to launch August 30 release The Rip Tide, Beirut proved a perfect fit for the sun-dappled Lindley Meadow Sunday afternoon. It's easily Outside Lands' most intimate space, featuring a tree-hidden field with curved sides that makes for a natural amphitheater. Drenched in the golden rays of the setting sun Zach Condon led the classy, expert chamber rock six-piece through hits "A Sunday Smile" and "Nantes". It was a stark contrast to the same location on Saturday, where one half of Outkast simply couldn't put it together.

Fresh off an arrest for ecstasy and illegal Viagra, Big Boi completely failed to perform Saturday after his DJ's computer refused to boot, and no back-up could be found. Comedian Dave Chappelle came out to explain that it wasn't Big Boi's fault, but it was. Lindley Meadow closer Saturday Erykah Badu shined in Big Boi's wake, though, deploying a tight ten-piece band and a full computer set-up to maximal effect.

The funky, revolutionary spirit of San Francisco legends Sly and the Family Stone shone once again in the city as Badu sang "Hip Hop / is bigger than the government" and warned of dirty cops. Badu closed her set with a little crowd surfing. "I just wanted to feel ya'll," she said.

Fellow masters of their instruments The Roots also blew away crowds numbering in the tens of thousands during their afternoon set Saturday. An all-live instrumental super-remix of "You Got Me", "Sweet Child O Mine", "Bad to the Bone" and "Jungle Boogie" made the crowd lose their minds. If it's possible for The Roots to have actually gotten better since joining Fallon, they have.

GNR was in the air Saturday. While Muse's histrionic, operatic rock thundered on the main stage, Pittsburgh laptop artist Girl Talk absolutely slaughtered the opposite side of the festival Saturday night with his trademark dragnet of pop hooks. Mixes of "Barracuda" and "Hard in da Paint", "November Rain" and UGK's "One Day" are abject populist pandering, but they have a dark end. Girl Talk pulls in listeners, only to violate them with kind of sounds rarely heard outside of the experimental art circles in which he gestated.

It was a prelude to an equally fierce dance-off during Major Lazer Sunday. Super-producer Diplo and Switch did their aggressively sexual dancehall routine, dropping the beat so hard that the sweaty, half-naked, writhing crowd looked like something out of Caligula. It's an experience that should be on everyone's bucket list.

Promoters say the three-day, sold-out event created 4,500 jobs and drew a reported $50 million in tourism to the City, so start saving $20 a month. Barring a total global fiscal meltdown or a simian revolution, or both, you can bet that Outside Lands will be back and just as big next year.

***

Beirut

Arctic Monkeys

Decemberists

 (concertgoers)

Major Lazer

Little Dragon

The Roots

Quite possibly YOUR idea of "Paradise," particularly if you're not a Joe Satriani fan.

By Blurt Staff

British mainstream poster Coldplay's fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto (pronounced my-lo zy-letoe), will be released October 25th by Capitol Records. Produced by Markus Dravs, Daniel Green and Rik Simpson, with "enoxification and additional composition" (the band's words) by Brian Eno, Mylo Xyloto follows 2008's chartbusting Viva La Vida.

Mylo Xyloto will be released in digital, CD and vinyl formats. The 180-gram vinyl edition will include a 12" x 36" poster. A special limited edition Pop-Up Album version will also be available, which will include a 12" x 12" hardback book containing graffiti pop-up art designed by David A. Carter, vinyl, CD and exclusive content including photographs, excerpts from the studio diary and the band's personal notebooks. Half of the CDs will be packaged with the full color artwork as the cover while the other 50% will have the CD booklet flipped, showing the silver initials "M X" via a die-cut sheet placed over the color image.

"Paradise," the follow-up to Coldplay's current single, "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall," will be released as a commercial single on September 12th.

New Order, Quando Quango, A Certain Ratio, Section 25 and many more - including Blurt!

By Blurt Staff

On Oct. 11 the Strut label presents an essential new retrospective of Factory Records, the Manchester club-turned-record label set up in the late ‘70s by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. Compiled by Bill Brewster of djhistory.com, FAC. DANCE: Factory Records 12" Mixes & Rarities 1980 - 1987 places the spotlight on some of the label's early dancefloor-based work across key 12" mixes and rarities, from the unmistakeable productions of Martin Hannett to more unheralded backroom work by New Order's Bernard Sumner and A Certain Ratio drummer Donald Johnson, under their BeMusic and DoJo monikers.

The album traces early experiments from Blurt's avant garde mutant funk to the fertile post-Joy Division period as the label's unique, coruscating post-punk sound took shape through seminal bands like A Certain Ratio and Section 25. The album also expressly documents Factory's strong links and cross-pollination with New York's 1980s club culture, as New Order joined forces with producer Arthur Baker, fresh from his pioneering electro work with Afrika Bambaataa, and acts like Quando Quango and Sweet Sensation's Marcel King enlisted NY remixer Mark Kamins for tough-edged club treatments. Factory bands including Quando Quango would also play live at some of the city's seminal nightspots, including the Paradise Garage.

The compilation also touches on some of the wider directions explored by Factory during its early years - Durutti Column's melancholic beauty, the latin jazz and jazz funk of Swamp Children, Kalima and Tony Henry's 52^nd Street and a track from the label's only reggae single, the Dennis Bovell-produced 'See Them A'Come' by X-O-Dus. This is the music that would provide the blueprint for the Manchester scene of the late '80s and Factory's heady later years - the Happy Mondays, James, Northside and the rest.

FAC. DANCE is compiled and annotated by Brewster and features rare artist photos alongside original label artwork by Peter Saville. The album is produced in association with James Nice at LTM Records - LTM, of course, is the British label that's been responsible for scores of Factory reissues (as well as compilations similar to this one) over the past decade or so, very handily carrying the torch and waving the flag for the seminal label.

CD 1

Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix) (8:12)

A Certain Ratio - Wild Party (4:17)

Quando Quango - Love Tempo (7:49)

52nd Street - Express (5:00)

Swamp Children - Little Voices (7:10)

Biting Tongues - Boss Toyota Trouble (5:30)

The Durutti Column - For Belgian Friends (Valuable Passages version) (5:22)

Royal Family & The Poor - Art On 45 (4:49)

A Certain Ratio - Knife Slits Water (12-inch version) (9:44)

Section 25 - Dirty Disco

Blurt - Puppeteer (3:22)

X-O-Dus - See Them-A-Come (8.28)

CD 2

New Order - Confusion (Original 12" mix) 8.13

Shark Vegas - Pretenders Of Love (5:08)

52nd Street - Cool As Ice (Jellybean Mix) (7:29)

Streetlife - Act On Instinct (Hot Swedish Mix) (5:32)

The Hood - Salvation! (Nitromix) (12:05)

Abecedarians - Smiling Monarchs (6:47)

Quando Quango - Atom Rock (Mark Kamins Mix) 7:27)

Marcel King - Reach For Love (New York Remix) (5:26)

52nd Street - Look Into My Eyes (6:55)

Quando Quango - Genius (6:22)

Swamp Children - You've Got Me Beat (4:55)

The Durutti Column - Madeleine (3:00)

Digital only bonus tracks: 

Minny Pops - Time (3.44)

Kalima - Black Water (6.35)

Royal Family & The Poor - Motherland (5:42)

Concert film shot earlier this year in Atlanta.

By Blurt Staff

Blurt fave JJ Grey (who we featured awhile back in the magazine and at Blurt-online) will issue his first live DVD/CD on Sept. 13 - it's also the first DVD from Grey's label Alligator (which we also featured recently, too). Titled Brighter Days, the live concert film was directed by filmmaker/musician Spookie Daly, whose work has been aired on MTV Networks, Much Music and Fuse, the film intersperses concert footage with Grey's north Florida home, the inspiration for so much of his music. The film also follows Grey and company into the studio and features band interviews along with insightful commentary from Grey and others, recalling the format of classic "rockumentaries." The accompanying CD captures almost eighty minutes of crowd favorites taken from the night's performances.

Shot on January 22, 2011 at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia in stunning HD and boasting 5.1 surround sound, Brighter Days finds JJ (vocals, guitar and harmonica) and his band - Andrew Trube on lap steel and electric guitar, Anthony Farrell on organ and piano, Art Edmaiston on saxophone, Dennis Marion on trumpet, Todd Smallie on bass and Anthony Cole on drums - giving everything they have. Singing and telling stories with preacher-like conviction, JJ breaks down the wall between the audience and the performer. "I've always felt that music opens the door," says Grey, "but we've all got to walk through it together."

The idea for a film was born several years back when Spookie Daly came to Florida from his native Boston to film JJ at his backwoods home. "For years people have been saying to me, ‘You should do a documentary on where you're from and show that connection to the music,'" states Grey, "and then others have been saying, ‘Y'all should make a concert DVD.' Meanwhile, every time I turned around someone would say, ‘Y'all need to do a live album.' So I thought, ‘Let's do them all!' That's when I called Spook," says JJ.

Spookie and JJ originally met in a Salt Lake City hotel parking lot while both were on tour. "We pulled up to a Travelodge hotel and I hear someone yelling, ‘Hey!' It was Spookie. He recognized our 15-passenger van as belonging to a fellow road band and we realized we were on the same bill that night. We've been hanging ever since." Their friendship eventually led to Spookie being called in to direct the first JJ Grey video for the single Orange Blossoms. The two teamed up again for the virally popular video for On Fire, set in a miniaturized strip club populated by dolls. "We built the set in my house and played with dolls for four days. I had a lot of explaining to do when people came by and saw two grown men playing with scantily clad dolls," laughs Grey.