Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Santogold


One of the most blogged about new artists out there right now is Santogold. In case you haven't heard of her, Santogold is Santi White, who before coming out with her solo work has been a songwriter for hire for musicians including Lily Allen, Res and Ashlee Simpson. Her debut self titled LP just hit stores and has been creating a stir in music circles with critics and fans alike.
Her defining moment might have gotten started back in 2007 with her double A-sided single of the songs "Creator" and "L.E.S Artistes" which were featured as NME magazine's single of the week and were an instant smash. Both songs are on the new album and Santogold's sound which has been compared to M.I.A, is a fresh modern take on new wave, electro, art and indie rock all rolled into one. The album also sees White collaborate with fellow producers and musicians such as Freq Nasty, Switch, Spank Rock, Diplo and even M.I.A.

It's an album that's difficult to pigeon hole which is refreshing. Be sure to listen to the tracks "Shove It" feat.Spank Rock, "L.E.S. Artistes", the Bloc Party-ish "You'll Find a Way", "Creator" and one of my favorites off the album "Lights Out".

Stay tuned cause most likely you'll be hearing a lot more about Santogold in 2008.

Santogold on Myspace.

Get to Know: Hayden

Hayden's newest album In Field & Town has been out in Canada since 2007, but just finds its release in the US this week on Fat Possum records. Hayden has been putting out records since the mid 90's relatively under the radar in the States, but has been steadily gaining steam since 2004's Elk-Lake Serenade which featured the fantastic slow builder "Dynamite Walls". His sound is mostly acoustic, easy & laid back on the new album mixing in some horns, xylophone and piano along the way. Be sure to check out the tracks "Where and When", "Worthy of Your Esteem" and "More Than Alive"

Hayden is currently finding himself being exposed to much wider audiences as he has been touring for the past few weeks with fellow Canadien Feist . After wrapping up on that tour he will be heading across the states on his own thru May & June.

Here's his video for "Dynamite Walls"

Free Downloads- new songs from Death Cab & Coldplay

Over at daytrotter.com you can grab two new songs from Death Cab for Cutie off of the upcoming Narrow Stairs. The album isn't out until May 13th but the band sat down with the folks at Daytrotter for a live session and performed "Cath" & "Talking Bird" off the new album, as well as some older tracks worth checking out.

Then at Coldplay.com you can download a free version of their first single "Violet Hill" off of Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends. The new album, produced by Brian Eno is supposed to see the band experiment with and take a step away from the sound that has made them famous. In a recent interview Chris Martin has said half jokingly ... "on the first record we were very much plagiarizing the Jeff Buckley Radiohead thing" ...." the third record we plagiarized ourselves" ...and now ..."all that we've done really is expand our plagiaristic pallet".
Let us know what you think of the band's new sound.To get the free download of "Violet Hill" click here.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

new music- Dead Leaf Echo


It's not everyday you would put the terms moody and dark in the same sentence with shoegaze to describe a band's sound. But NYC trio Dead Leaf Echo take those sounds collectively and turn them on their head. With the new 6 track Ep Pale Fire , the group delivers its dreamy array of swirling guitars and heavy dense soundscape. The opening tracks "Warm Body" and "Thought Talk" set the early brooding tone, but about 3/4 thru Thought Talk the band steps it into a different gear and sets the listener up for the rest of the Ep. The tracks "Tears" and "Cry The Sea" with their layered guitars and vocals and tempo changes bring to mind 90's bands like Lotion & Swervedriver. The track "Palefire" which is mixed by electro wondermind Ulrich Schnauss and logs in at over 7 min's shows the band at its finest, delivering a full on sonic assault.

The band has two shows coming up on the east coast:
May 10 Metro Gallery w/Thrushes in Baltimore, Maryland
May 15 Trash Bar w/The Soundscapes Brooklyn, NY

To take a listen to Dead Leaf Echo, you can head over to the group's myspace.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Coldplay- Album art, free download & free shows


Coldplay has revealed the album art for their new album 'Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends' which comes out in a store near you as follows...
UK - June 12
USA & Canada - June 17
Japan - June 11
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Ireland - June 13
Australia/NZ - June 14
Rest of the World - June 16


Chris Martin and the lads have also made available the first single off the album "Violet Hill" as a free download on Coldplay.com for one week starting Tuesday the 29th. Also, the group will announce preliminary details of two free shows which the band will play in June, one at London's Brixton Academy and the other at New York's Madison Square Garden.

wk 4/28-Videos of the week

Wanted to start a new 'Video of the Week' feature but couldn't decide between two different one's this week. They are both completely different musically and visually for that matter ..... so here they are..

First up, is the Belgian alt-rock group dEUS, the band is out with a new album Vantage Point , and sees the group take its biggest musical leap. The video is for their second single off the album, the 80's new wave infused "The Architect".



This second video is from singer-songwriter Priscilla Ahn, who's major label debut A, Good Day is due to hit stores this June 10th. The video is for her first single "Dream".

Friday, April 25, 2008

Vetiver- album news


San Francisco's Americana rocker's Vetiver, who just recently returned from touring with Gary Louris (Jayhawks) are gearing up for a tour and release of their new album of covers, Thing of The Past . The album drops on May 13th, and has the band tackling covers from the likes of Loudon Wainwright III "The Swimming Song", Hawkwind’s "Hurry On Sundown" and on to Townes Van Zandt’s "Standing" and Biff Rose’s "To Baby". Vetiver's goal was to take some of the more obscure or overlooked tunes from mostly traditional US songwriters. Most of the tracks span from the period 1967–1973.
Singer Andy Cabic explained his thoughts behind the album: "It was a mixture of a few tunes Vetiver had been performing live alongside others which I loved and thought we would do a decent job interpreting. I wanted to share songs which were favorites of mine and my circle of friends and perform them with a reverence and appreciation for their finer qualities, the lyrical and sonic nuances which keep me returning to them time and again for inspiration.... It was an experiment in a lot of ways, and it was one of the best experiences I've yet to have recording anything.”

The group has also recently announced that they have been back in the studio recording the next Vetiver record (of all original songs). The band will be touring the west coast the first half of May, then will be hitting Europe thru the end of June.

photo credit: Alissa Anderson

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Radiohead- on Conan (past & present)

Radiohead appeared on the Conan O'Brien show last night performing "House of Cards". The song was actually taped from a studio in London and was part of an eco-friendly green show from the globally conscious group. As Conan mentions in the clip the band was actually his first musical guest back in 93'. You can take a watch of both performances past and present....

Last night:



and back in 93':

Duffy- Album release in the States


Soulful 60's throwback Duffy, is the Welsh songstress who has seen her star rocket in the UK in 2008 off of her big selling singles "Mercy" and "Rockferry". Her debut album Rockferry is finally seeing a release date in the US, hitting stores on May 13th on Island records. Her retro sounds have been compared a plenty to Amy Winehouse, but Duffy probably takes more of a classical motown approach then Winehouse. Think more along the lines of Dusty Springfield, meets Joss Stone with a splash of Winehouse in there somewhere. The single "Mercy" is available on i-tunes in the States and has seen rotation on VH1.

Take a look at her new video for her next single "Warwick Avenue".

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

KaiserCartel- new ep


2008 is setting up to be the year of the guy/girl combo's it seems. The past two months alone have seen stellar releases from Wye Oak, She & Him and the Weepies. The latest standout to join the pack is the group KaiserCartel. The duo is made up of Courtney Kaiser (vocals, guitar, keys) & Benjamin Cartel (vocals, guitar, drums), and on their new Ep Okay(And Other Things We Feel) they bring a heavy dose of their inviting, hook filled folk pop melodies. The lead track "Okay" is a perfect example of what the band has to offer, with spot on harmonies on a soaring chorus filled up with stomping drums and tambourine. The pair trade lead vocals on the playful "Favorite Song" & the countrified "This Little Feeling" with Benjamin taking the reigns. The band doesn't miss a step in the process, keeping the tone and overall genuine vibe going. Also be sure to check out "Dog Stars", which is one of the highlights of the Ep and showcases Kaiser's soft mellow vocals.
The Okay Ep is a precursor to the band's new full length that is slated to be released on June 10th. To check out their music you can head over to their myspace.

Photo credit: Tony Nelson

Super groups & super delegates

According to the Merge records website, the Arcade Fire and Superchunk are teaming up in the beginning of May for a pair of performances in support of Barack Obama's Early Vote Rallies. The show's are scheduled for May 1st at Greensboro's Coliseum Complex Pavilion Parking Lot, and May 2nd at Carrboro's Town Commons.
The Senator's camp announced the two shows which are labeled "Change Rocks" to headline the campaign's One-Stop Early Voting drive which is hitting college campuses and other locales. Obama is trying to encourage voters to take advantage of the state's first-ever One Stop Early Voting process, which allows voters who are not registered or who have never voted before to register and vote at the same place, on the same day, all at once.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

William Fitzsimmons- Interview

William Fitzsimmons' music combines soft folk melodies with perfectly crafted simple electronic beats. He's been compared to artists such as Iron & Wine, Joshua James and Imogen Heap. His last album Goodnight, which chronicled his parents divorce, was one of the finest albums that 2006 had to offer. William's musical journey has not been a traditional one, having obtained his Masters degree in mental health counselling and having worked in the profession for several years before putting out records. He was also raised by two blind parents which he credits for having a hand in growing up with sounds more than sights.
Fresh off of the singer/songwriter showcase known as the "Hotel Cafe" tour, William Fitzsimmons was kind enough to make some time for us for an online interview.

You just wrapped playing on the “Hotel Cafe” tour. What was that like?? & any highlights or favorite moments from the tour?
William- The Hotel Cafe tour was pretty incredible. Many of the folks that were on the tour were actually friends of mine already, and those that weren’t became so rather quickly. It was a joint effort in every sense of the word. We sang on several of each others’ songs, rode in the bus together, and just made it a sort of traveling community. I’d have to say it was unique to any touring I’ve done up til this point. I don’t know that there would necessarily be ‘one’ standout moment from the tour (corny or not, there were many particilarly special moments), but if I were to pick a single one, it would probably be singing on stage with everyone during the finale each night. Can’t think of it getting much better than that.

What is life like on the road w/ a collective of artists like that, as compared to just travelling w/ yourself or w/ your own band?
William- I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a comfort in having your own privacy, your own space, and some downtime while touring. And traveling mostly on your own (or with a small group of folks) does offer that. However, there is something so fun, and actually inspiring about travleling with a large group that I think if offered the choice, I would pretty much always choose to tour with a lot of people. I sort of equate it to being on a sports team versus playing a more solitary sport. There is indeed something gratifying about making it work on your own, but when you look across a stage with a mass of talented individuals, all doing what they do best, you can’t help but to be moved by the experience.

The album Goodnight you've said is the story of your parents divorce. Was there ever a thought of not putting it out because it's too personal? Was the writing process of that one cathartic in a sense??
William- I really never had too much trouble disclosing personal elements through the writing, perhaps due to having been a counselor before, or perhaps just given my upbringing, so there wasn’t really a “should I or shouldn’t I” moment about getting into some gritty material on that record. Moreover, when I found myself not being able to even write about too much else without those family and experiential elements slipping in, I thought it would might be wise to exercise those demons, as it were. I’d rather get of my head what is trying to come out, then fight it and keep writing the same songs over and again.

On a similar note, I read once that 90 percent of your writing is about your family?? Is that still true when you approach songwriting?? why do you think that is?
William- The Goodnight record was somewhat of an exception, given it was specifically themed about my family and the experiences therein, although it is definitely true that I lean towards what I have known or lived through, as opposed to detailing external situations. I never sat down and decided that I would only write about myself or my family, but I think I am probably at my best when I am allowing experience and emotion to guide the process. I would rather follow whatever muse is in front of me at a given moment instead of focing things I can’t or shouldn’t be speaking on in the music. Perhaps most importantly, I think it is the responsibility of a songwriter to attempt to reach people at points that are relevant and germane to their daily lives. Family, relationships, loss, hope, etc... These are the things I find myself wallowing through on a daily basis, and the things I hope to meet people with in the tunes as well.

When did you first start to take an interest in music?? & when did u start performing??
William- Cliche or otherwise, music has been a large part of my life for as long as my little brain goes back. My parents had us in piano lessons at a very young age, and playing band instruments as soon as there was a school band to play them in. Performance then, I suppose, was also an early part of that, with school recitals and marching band weekends, and the like. Although I loved it (well, maybe not marching band so much), I never really thought it would ever be anymore than a passion and a hobby. As such it took a backseat in my life for quite a while in order to go to graduate school, and work in the psychology field for several years. It wasn’t until I picked the guitar back up and entertained the idea of actually writing my own songs that it found itself back at the forefront of my mind again.

Your past two albums have been self produced. Is it something you were trained in or was it all self taught?
William- All of the production I did on those records was self-taught. At the beginning of it I was just a guy with some in-expensive gear and a guitar who thought it’d be fun to record a couple beatles covers or something. The self-production was more out of necessity than pride; I really didn’t have another choice but to learn it myself! I think I took to it quickly because I was so motivated to be able to have fun with it soon, rather than waiting. That being said, I’d say one of my biggest accomplishments was being able to helm both of those records on my own. It was some of the hardest work I’ve ever done, but it was terribly rewarding because of that.

I heard your working on a new album. Will it all be self produced? & what can u tell us about the new album & how the sound is taking shape?
William- Because of the length of time and effort I had to put into self-producing, especially the last record which really took me about half a year to record and mix from start to finish, I’m going to be doing the new album in a studio, and with a producer. I’m not abandoning the notion of self-production for good, and I have a feeling I’ll keep doing it at various points, but I don’t know if I could emotionally handle doing all of it again on my own. I don’t want to say too much about the new album just yet, mainly because we’re so early in the recording I’m not sure what the sound will exactly be like. But I’ve already recorded the first song, and I’m very excited about the possibilities for the end result.

What new music if any are you excited about??
William- I’m such a bad person to ask about the newest music, and what people are listening to at the moment because I get so attached to bands and albums that I have trouble moving on from them. A couple recent favorites would have to be Priscilla Ahn and Meiko. Very hearfelt and potent stuff; I’d definitely recommend it.

Sites like Myspace, Facebook and I-like... It seems like yes, more people can find you and discover your work but it's much more DIY,work wise for the artist to keep on top of??... How have sites like these changed the music landscape in general & for yourself?
William- It goes without saying at this point that the social networking sites have been extremely instrumental for artists like myself, who would for certain, probably not even have a career were it not for them. And to be honest, I think someone rather hands-on like myself has a particular advantage because I look forward to and enjoy the experience of building up the sites, communicating with fans, and being directly involved in the process of getting the music into the ears and minds of listeners. I think in some ways it’s harder anymore because there is much more congestion in terms of people being able to find you amongst so many others and other things, but I still believe that if people are given a broader choice about what they would like to take in, we are all the better for it.

Is there anywhere you haven't played yet that's tops on your list if you get the chance??
William- I’ve already played at more places than I ever could have dreamed I’d get the chance to! No need to get picky. Haha. That being said, I’m definitely looking forward to touring the entire country for the first time, and actually hitting many of the states that I’ve never even visited before.

Favorite movie you put on when you need a good laugh??
William- Probably Old School.

Besides yourself, Best beard in music???
William- Haha...so many good ones to choose from! I’d say Matisyahu, Ray Lamontagne, and Sam Beam are all tops on that list. I think we’d all have to give Mr. Beam the nod for absolute best though.

Thanks kindly to William Fitzsimmons for his time and to take a listen to his music you can check out his myspace.

Photo credit: Caleb Kuhl

Radiohead on Conan Weds.

Radiohead will be the musical guest this Wednesday, April 23rd on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The band will be performing "House of Cards". In a few weeks the band is scheduled to launch a brief US tour, and then will be returning again in August with more dates.

upcoming US dates:
May 5 Cruzan Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, Florida
May 6 Ford Amphitheatre Tampa, Florida
May 8 Lakewood Amphitheatre Atlanta, Georgia
May 9 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte, North Carolina
May 11 Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge Bristow, Virginia
May 14 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre St Louis, Missouri
May 17 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Houston, Texas
May 18 Superpages.com Center Dallas, Texas

Monday, April 21, 2008

A 'new wave' of Joy Division flicks

For anyone that's into the post punk/new wave movement that is enjoying a comeback these days you might want to take a look at the documentary Joy Division which is hitting stores on June 17th. The film captures the story of the band who were one of the originators of the post punk movement in the late 70's. The documentary on the group is directed by Grant Gee, who has previously directed (Radiohead’s Meeting People Is Easy) and was co-written by journalist/writer Jon Savage. The film features the participation of all the surviving band members (who now make up New Order), and takes viewers through never-before-seen live performances, personal photos, period films and newly discovered audiotapes of the band. Also participating in the project was Belgian journalist Annik Honoré, who speaks for the the first time about her relationship with lead singer Ian Curtis before he committed suicide back in 1980.

In addition to the documentary being released in June, the 2007 Ian Curtis bio pic Control, is being put out on June 3rd. Control, which was met with some criticism from the remaining members of the band, was the film from director Anton Corbijn that used the Deborah Curtis biography Touching From a Distance as a rough guide.

take a look at a preview of the Documentary Joy Division.

Friday, April 18, 2008

our "Liner Notes" interview w/ Alaska In Winter

The indie/electronic project Alaska In Winter was nice enough to give us a sit down for our new interview series "Liner Notes". Alaska In Winter is the project of Brandon Bethancourt, who actually did retreat up to the frozen north of Alaska one winter and ended up creating the material that is on his album Dance Party in the Balkans . The album has actually been out for some time in Europe but just gained distribution on Milan records in the States. Dance Party features guest appearances buy Zach Condon of Beirut and Heather Trost of A Hawk & a Hacksaw.

Here's our interview w/ Alaska In Winter:

new songs from My Morning Jacket

I know a lot of you out there have been anxiously awaiting the new album from My Morning Jacket. There's been snippets of new material floating around places like YouTube, but the quality has been suspect on most. If your looking for a sneak preview of the new stuff with some better quality check out NPR (National Public Radio), they have streaming audio from the show the band put on at SXSW at the Austin Music Hall. The performance includes 8 new tracks off of the forthcoming Evil Urges .
Here's the setlist from the show:

"Steam Engine"
"Lay Low"
"Mahgeetas"
"Anytime"
"Touch Me Pt. 2"
"Evil Urges"
"Off the Record"
"Gideon"
"Highly Suspicious"
"What a Wonderful Man"
"I'm Amazed"
"Thank You Too"
"Golden"
"Sec Walkin'"
"Wordless Chorus"
"Way He Sings"
"Aluminum Park"
"One Big Holiday"
"Run Thru"
"Smokin' From Shootin'"

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Yeasayer- on Jools Holland

Another musical guest from the show Later w/Jools Holland from the BBC2, this time with one of the most hyped bands of 2008, Yeasayer. The band appeared last week on the show & performed their song "2080" off of 2007's All Hour Cymbals.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Jaymay- Interview

Jaymay's rise to indie success has happened relatively quickly. Just rewind back a few years to 2003 and Jaymay had just graduated college and moved back to NY to pursue a career in publishing. Unable to find what she was lookin for in the publishing world she attempted a performance at an open mic night in NYC. Lucky for us all that while onstage that night Jaymay realised that music was her true calling, and the rest is history. A few short years later and her ep Sea Green See Blue was put on I-tunes in the "Indie Spotlight", and her career was on the move. More recently she got picked up by EMI, which released her already successful new full length Autumn Fallin . Here's Jaymay's description of the album.... “Autumn Fallin’ is the death of a relationship and the death of a friend,” says Jaymay. “It’s about Autumn turning into Winter. The songs come from seven months of life and relationships in New York. But there’s hope there in the songs too. If you think of the first song, ‘Gray or Blue,’ and the last song, ‘You Are The Only One I Love,’ as bookends you can read a story.”

Jaymay was kind enough to give us a few moments out of her schedule for an interview, here it is:

You've had a love of books from a young age & the new album Autumn Fallin' seems to have a story arch to it, a beginning a middle and an end. Does that come natural in your writing or this album just turned out that way?
Jaymay- It definitely comes natural (the whole story arch thing). sea green, see blue i wrote over the course of three days. it ended up bein about fifty short rhymin paragraphs and i had to keep cuttin n cuttin away until i had six neat verses to summarize the ebb n flow of a seven month relationship. or sometimes when i write i just start typin a conversation i wish i was havin. autumn fallin' is a conversation with nobody on the other side of the table. and you'd rather run is a collection of sentences i was emailin myself over a period of two years. the last verse of that song (before the final chorus) was actually the inspiration for the song-- so in a sense, the beginning is the end.

Is the writing process cathartic for you?
Jaymay- I write to cope (im winnin u with words bc i have no other way). yes, it's quite cathartic.

I read that you grew up on Long Island? How'd you get past all the bad cover bands and 80's metal scene to make the music you do?
Jaymay- i started performin for the first time in NYC (after i graduated college) at open mics so i never really got acquainted with the whole long island music scene. tho one time i went n sang at stephen talkhouse in amagansett (to be like billy joel). but i didnt play a show or anythin--just the open mic.

How did the deal with EMI/Bluenote records come about? Was it a long courting process?
Jaymay- I signed with heavenly/emi in the UK a year after they saw me perform at SXSW in march '05. when i learned my record would be released in the states i of course was leanin towards blue note as the EMI affiliate (im down with anythin that includes chet baker). the blue note crew came to see me sing october '07 at rockwood music hall n thankfully they liked me.

Having had a lot of success getting your music out there basically by word of mouth, whas there ever any hesitation on singning up with a major?
Jaymay- Sure, im pretty reluctant bout anythin label-related. i think that's a natural way to be these days-- especially with the direction the music industry is headed n all. after heavenly expressed interest, i still did not sign for a year.

When you first started performing on those open mic nights, did you ever think you'd be where you are now? What was that first performance like?  
Jaymay- Well i never thought id be on chet baker's label. i owe everythin to that first performance (where i only managed to perform 1/2 a song called banana without appeal) bc it's when i finally acknowledged music is what im meant to be doing.

What would you be doing if it wasn't making music?  
Jaymay- Who knows? probably longin to play music. i really wanna write a book one day. sometimes im convinced my songs are just half-hearted attempts at books.

I heard the New Yorker magazine rejected your poems you submitted? Any words for them?
Jaymay- I guess not. not yet anyways . . . (they'll change their mind).

You've said in the past that your obsessed with Bob Dylan, have you ever had the opportunity to meet him? Would you want to?
Jaymay- Of course i wanna meet Bobby. havent had the opportunity yet, but every day i'm gettin closer.

Thanks very much to Jaymay for givin us some time.
You can get her album Autumn Fallin on Blue Note in the US and Heavenly records in the UK. To give a listen you can go to her myspace, or you can catch her on tour in the UK thru May and back in the states thru June.

Photo credit: Rebecca Lewis

Monday, April 14, 2008

The Swell Season on Later w/ Jools Holland

For those that didn't see the movie Once, you might have become familiar with Glen Hanshard & Marketa Irglova after their recent Oscar win for best original song. The duo who go by the name The Swell Season appeared last week on the BBC show, Later W/ Jools Holland, performing a cover of the Van Morrison song "Into the Mystic"

check it out:

Rachael Yamagata - says "hang tight" on new album


For fans waiting on the much anticipated and much delayed new release from Rachael Yamagata, word from Rachael is to "hang tight" ... it's coming. It's been 4 years now since her last album Happenstance & well over a year since her new sophomore effort was supposed to have been released.

From Rachael's new blog on her myspace:
"I can't even begin to go into where I've been or what I've been doing mostly because it's all blurred in my mind. It has been two years of dramatic change and I'm 'in the flow' as they say so it's hard for me to know what will come next. I DO have a record for you. I AM going to get it to you. All the other details are boring so at the risk of seeming the boy who cried wolf, hang tight"

For those looking to catch some new material from Rachael she is currently on tour w/Sara Bareilles on the following dates.

Apr 14 Pabst Theatre Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Apr 15 Fine Line Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 17 House of Blues Chicago, Illinois
Apr 18 Bellarmine College Louisville, Kentucky
Apr 20 Opera House Toronto
Apr 22 Paradise Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 23 Irving Plaza New York, New York
Apr 24 TLA Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 28 9:30 Club Washington DC, Washington DC
Apr 29 Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, North Carolina
Apr 30 Variety Atlanta, Georgia

Here's the sneak peak of her long awaited new album that has been posted on her website for quite some time now.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Gutter Twins- have a scare in Brussels



The Greg Dulli & Mark Lanegan project, The Gutter Twins who are currently on tour in Europe had to cut short friday nights show in Brussels. According to the band's website Greg Dulli became seriously ill during the performance and was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital. Greg was later diagnosed with dehydration and hyperthermia, which required an overnight stay. Dulli has been put on bed rest by doctors & been told to take off for the next couple of days. The group had to cancel a stop in Rotterdam but the tour will resume in Copenhagen on April 14th.

After Dulli's illness the rest of the band returned to the stage for a brief three song encore.

Friday, April 11, 2008

New video from Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie has put out a new video for their first single "I Will Possess Your Heart" off of their upcoming album Narrow Stairs. The album doesn't hit stores until May 13th, but you can catch the 8 plus minute track & vid here ....


Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Jealous Girlfriends- Interview


Since 2005's Comfortably Uncomfortable ,the Brooklyn four piece The Jealous Girlfriends have been generating a steady buzz around NYC indie circles. Well a lot has happened to the band since their last album dropped. The band has gone thru some key line-up adjustments, been signed to the label Good Fences, embarked on a national tour with Kevin Devine and more recently w/Nada Surf, and now are about to see the release of their long awaited new self titled work on May 6th.
Drummer Mike Fadem was nice enough to give us a few minutes for an online interview recently, touching on the band's sound, reaching new audiences, and how the group got together.


The band's sound has been compared to a wide variety of artists, from Sonic Youth & the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Billie Holiday and Blur?? Does that make you feel good that it's hard to pigeon hole your sound?
Mike- Yes, very good. We’ve definitely been criticized for being all over the place, but we think its a great attribute. We never get bored, the audience (we hope) never gets bored – its a win win situation.

You guys toured earlier in the year w/ Kevin Devine. How was that tour? & Did it expose the band to a different audience that might have been unfamliar w/ Jealous Gf's?
Mike- The tour was totally amazing. Kevin and his guitarist, Mike Strandberg, are two of our favorite people in the world and it couldn’t have gone better or smoother. I think most audiences are unfamiliar with us, unless they’re in New York. It was our first real tour and it took us to places we’d never been to. So yes, it was great exposure for us and Kevin’s audience was really kind and open to us.

What song off the upcoming record has been getting the best reaction in concert so far??
Mike- That’s a tough one. Roboxulla, the first single, always gets a great response. It has a really nice build to it and it ends big. Secret Identity and Hieroglyphics are also similar in that way. But its really different every night. I think each night we’re surprised by which song or songs get the biggest applause after. And sometimes it depends on when we have the biggest audience too, since recently we’re usually opening we have our biggest audience towards the end of the set.

How did your relationship with Good Fences come about??
Mike- A friend of a friend of ours is in a band called Memphis, who was Good Fences’ first signing, and came to see us play. He loved the show and then brought Serge, Good Fences’ owner, to come down from Montreal to see us in New York. The rest is history!

How did the band meet??
Mike- Holly and Alex met at Alex’s studio, Headgear. They decided to make a record together, Comfortably Uncomfortable. Towards the end of the session they decided to make what they were doing into a band. Josh was interning at Headgear and Alex and Holly invited him to join the band as the drummer. Then about a year later Alex met me at the coffee shop i work at down the street from his studio. I then saw them play a few times and became a fan. Shortly after the three of them decided to have Josh step up and really sing co-lead and add another guitar to the sound and invited me to take over on drums.

In the beginning the bands sound was considered a bit more mellow. How has the sound changed since Josh came into the band??
Mike- When Josh joined is when both him and Alex started bringing in songs. They both come from different backgrounds as does Holly, therefore the sound and process changed dramatically. If you listen to Comfortably Uncomfortable and our new record you will instantly hear the change.

I read in one interview that during the recording process you guys sabotage each other's songs and that's how it ends up sounding the way it does. Can it get complicated having multiple songwriters??
Mike- Of course. But thats why we’re in a “band.” Together we make totally different music than we would ever make on our own. We never know what’s going to be the end result of any idea that one of us brings in, which is cool and exciting for all of us. Of course there has to be a lot of comprimising during the process, but we all must agree on and love the end result, which luckily is very rarely an issue.

The Brooklyn music scene. Is there too much hype on who will be the next big band coming out of Bklyn?
Mike- I don’t know, there’s a lot of good bands here. Seems like there’s lots of great bands coming from everywhere else too. I get pretty excited when i hear a great new band, I tell everybody i know!

Does the band have a favorite song to cover??
Mike- We love to cover “Only Shallow by My Bloody Valentine

What's coming up for the band in 2008??
Mike- Our record comes out on May 6th. Yay! And we’ll be touring everywhere for the rest of the year. That’s all!

Big thanks to Mike for giving us the time, you can take a listen to The Jealous Girlfriends on myspace or stay up to date on what's happening with the group on their website.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

The War on Drugs- and were not talkin' Nancy Reagan


Philly's The War on Drugs who have a new full length hitting stores this June, have made available a free download of their 2006 Ep Barrel of Batteries. If you haven't checked them out yet, the Ep is a good place to start. Think Wilco at their trippier moments mixed with maybe a hint of some Arcade Fire and Bruce Springsteen. Singer Adam Granduciel's voice is one of the more fresher compelling young voices around today and brings an undeniable urgency to the band's sound.
You can grab a free download of the group's Barrel of Batteries Ep here.
Also, you can preview three new songs off the band's upcoming full length Wagonwheel Blues which comes out in June on their myspace, which features the killer track "A Needle In Your Eye 16".

photo credit: Brad Love

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Wintersleep & the Juno Awards


Canada's equivalent of the grammy's, the Juno Awards took place last night in Calgary. As we've said before here, there's a heap of good young talent being cranked out north of the border. One example of this is the relatively new up and comers Wintersleep, who walked home with the best new group award. In 2007 the band released Welcome to The Night Sky which is actually their third album and saw the band expand and experiment with their sound. Some tracks worth checking out are "Drunk on Aluminum" which reminds me a little of Death Cab for Cutie & the melodic sing along stomper "Weighty Ghost". The album, Welcome To The Night Sky has yet to be distributed in the US, but can be purchased on the band's website.

Other notable happenings at the Juno's... Feist took home the Album of the Year & Artist of the year trophy's and best New Artist of the year went to the talented Serena Ryder.

photo credit: Scott Munn

Monday, April 7, 2008

The National - new DVD w/ Ep of rarities


The National has finally unveiled plans to release the documentary DVD, A Skin, A Night from French director Vincent Moon. The documentary which has been talked about for some time, was shot during the recording of the band's highly successful album The Boxer. The DVD is set for release on May 20th and will come with a bonus 12 track Ep of unreleased material featuring, demo's, live cuts and other rarities.

For those that are unfamiliar with director Vincent Moon, check out his very cool web site La Blogotheque & his Take Away Shows, which showcase new and upcoming artists performing impromptu live performances in the streets of Paris, NYC and other locales.

For sneek peeks of A Skin, A Night you can check out clips on The National's website.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Tall Firs- New album


Brooklyn's Tall Firs are back with their new album Too Old to Die Young , which is the follow up to 2006's critically successful self titled work. While the band is endlessly compared to Sonic Youth, maybe partly due to being signed on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label, or possibly due to band member Aaron Mullan having worked as a sound tech for Sonic Youth, either way i just don't see it. Yes, Tall Firs are a three piece and their sound is reminiscent of the early 90's alt. genre, but the SY comparisons seem over used. If anything they remind me more of Dinosaur Jr., neither comparison of which is bad company to be associated with.
On the new album Too Old to Die Young , the band expands on it's lo-fi sound using a more expansive pallet of feedback and noise. Where it's predecessor might have been more restrained, on the new album the band shows more of it's rougher, grittier side. This is perfectly displayed on the opening track "So Messed Up", which builds into a dreamy array of swirling guitars over drummer Ryan Sawyer's frantic playing. The pensive mood is also on display on "Warriors" which showcases the band's off tempo, quiet-loud combustible sound. The album also has some of Tall Firs most radio friendly tracks, such as the infectious "Hairdo", and the reflective minded "Loveless". Some other outstanding moments have Holly Miranda from The Jealous Girlfriends appearing for a duet on the intimate brooding closer "Secrets & Lies".
Overall on Too Old to Die Young the band shows a more developed broader sound and steps up to the next level in the indie landscape. Definitely a band to keep an eye on for 2008 and beyond. You can check them out on their myspace or on their label Ecstatic Peace.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Tom Petty reunites old band ... Mudcrutch


Before there was ever such a thing as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers there was a little band called Mudcrutch. Mudcrutch which is TP's old band, broke up in the mid 70's not that long after the band moved from Florida out to California. Well fast forward 30 some odd years & Petty is reuniting the group which had consisted of himself, along with current Heartbreakers Mike Cambell and Benmont Tench, and the two lesser known members Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh. TP decided to bring the old group together again, basically stating that there was unfinished business at hand. Mudcrutch recorded a new album in two short weeks back in August and it will be released on April 29th on Reprise Records. You can currently take a listen to Mudcrutch's new single "Scare Easy" which is available on iTunes. The band will also be heading out on the road for a few performances in California.

Here are the Mudcrutch Tour Dates:

April 12- Benefit For The Midnight Mission at Malibu PAC, Malibu, CA
April 14 - Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, CA
April 16- Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
April 17- Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
April 19- Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA
April 20- Ventura Theater, Ventura, CA
April 22- Concerts in The Park, Alpine, CA
April 25- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
April 26- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
April 28- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
April 29- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

The Weepies- new album news


The Weepies have officially announced a release date for their new album Hideaway. The new album has 14 new tracks and is set for release on April 22nd on Nettwerk records. Hideaway, comes off the success of their major label debut Say I am You which exposed the band to a much wider audience.The folk/pop duo is made up of the husband & wife team, Deb Talan and Steve Tannen. The pair were married in 2007 and also recently saw the birth of a new baby boy.
You can catch three new tracks, Hideaway, Antarctica and Can't Go Back Now off the album on the bands myspace.

Cat Power on Letterman

Cat Power appeared on The Late Show w/David Letterman last night and performed the track "Metal Heart" off of her latest album Jukebox.

Be sure to check out the uncomfortable/extra long handshake at the end of the song between Chan and Letterman.