Frightened Rabbit: stream new album in full; watch new video

Possibly my most anticipated disc of the year, next to The National's forthcoming album is Frightened Rabbit’s new one, The Winter of Mixed Drinks. The bands third full length, and follow up to 2008's brilliant The Midnight Organ Fight, isn’t due in stores until March 9 via FatCat records, but if you need to hear the album asap like me, you can head over to the bands to myspace page now where it is streaming in full. In addition it will be also be streaming on NPR music starting this Sat., Feb. 27.

And while were talking all things FR, check out the new and second version of the video for the album track, “Nothing Like You” which sees the guys getting down to the bare basics, literally.



Frightened Rabbit North American tour dates:
Mar 17 SXSW Austin, Texas
Mar 18 SXSW Austin, Texas
Mar 19 SXSW Austin, Texas
Mar 20 SXSW Austin, Texas
Apr 17 Coachella Festival Indio, Calif.
Apr 19 The Clubhouse Tempe, Arizona
Apr 21 Walters Houston, Texas
Apr 22 The Loft @ Palladium Ballroom Dallas, Tx
Apr 23 Revolution Little Rock, Arkansas
Apr 24 The Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 25 Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, NC
Apr 27 Black Cat Washington DC
Apr 28 Webster Hall New York, New York
Apr 29 The Paradise Boston, Mass
Apr 30 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Penn.
May 3 Petit Campus Montréal, Quebec
May 4 Opera House Toronto, Ontario
May 5 Grog Shop Cleveland, Ohio
May 6 Southgate House Newport, Kentucky
May 7 The Old Rock House St. Louis, Missouri
May 8 Metro Chicago, Illinois
May 9 Pabst Theater Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 10 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 12 Bluebird Theater Denver, Colorado
May 13 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, Texas
May 15 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC
May 16 Neumo’s Crystal Ball Seattle, Washington
May 17 Berbati’s Pan Portland, Oregon
May 19 The Fillmore San Francisco, California
May 22 Casbah San Diego, California

new video: Still Life Still- "Kid"

Here's a new video from Canadian band, Still life Still's debut full length, Girls Come Too for the track, "Kids" directed by Scott Cudmore.



http://www.stilllifestill.com/

new video: Robert Francis- "Junebug"

You might be hearing a lot more about Robert Francis in the coming months, with upcoming SXSW performances opening for Band of Horses, Drive By Truckers, and Broken Social Scene along with upcoming tour dates opening for label mates Fanfarlo. Francis largely slipped under most peoples radar in 2009, with his stunning LP, Before Nightfall, which featured the Dylanesque track, "Nightfall", and "Junebug" which he just came out with a new video for. Catch the new video and tour dates below.



Upcoming Robert Francis Tour Dates::
Mar 8 La Maroquinerie--Paris, France
Mar 15 AB Club--Brussels, Belgium
Mar 18 Stubb's--Austin, TX
Mar 27 The Loft--Atlanta, GA
Mar 30 The Norva--Norfolk, VA
Mar 31 First Unitarian Church--Philadelphia, PA
Apr 1 The Summit--Columbus, OH
Apr 2 Bluebird Nightclub--Bloomington, IN
Apr 3 Zanzabar--Louisville, KY
Apr 5 The Record Bar--Kansas City, MO
Apr 6 Cedar Cultural Center--Minneapolis, MN
Apr 7 Lincoln Hall--Chicago, IL
Apr 8 Grog Shop--Cleveland, OH
Apr 9 Lee's Palace--Toronto, ON, Canada
Apr 10 Studio Juste Pour Rire--Montréal, Canada
Apr 11 Paradise Rock Club--Boston, MA
Apr 17 Melkweg--Amsterdam, Holland
Apr 18 Ancienne Belgique AB--Brussels, Belgm
Apr 20 Huxley’s Neue Welt--Berlin, Germany
Apr 21 Docks--Hamburg, Germany
Apr 25 Maag MusicHall AG--Zürich, Switzerland
Apr 26 TonHalle München--Munich, Germany
Apr 28 Le Zénith de Paris--Paris, France
Apr 30 La Trocardière--Reze, France
May 1 Zenith Arena--Lille, France

get more Robert Francis on myspace.

Fanfarlo announce new North American dates, perform on David Letterman

It seems like the UK group, Fanfarlo have been gaining steam more and more with each month, ever since their album was re-released on Atlantic/Canvasback this past Fall. Their album Reservoir which landed at number 3 on our best of 2009 list has been getting critical acclaim for the band, and they just announced a new round of North American headlining dates for this March and April with Lawrence Arabia and Robert Francis as support.
The band whom just finished up a string of European headline shows, also stopped by the Late Show with David Letterman this week to make their national television debut, playing "Harold T. Wilkins."
And in other news, this week the group released an exclusive 6-song iTunes Sessions EP.



NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE DATES:
Feb 20 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, CA*
Feb 22 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA*
Feb 23 Doug Fir Portland, OR*
Feb 24 Crocodile Café Seattle, WA *
Feb 25 Knitting Factory Spokane, WA *
Feb 27 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT *
Feb 28 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO *
March 27 The Loft Atlanta, GA **
March 30 The NorVa Norfolk, VA **
March 31 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA **
April 1 The Summit Columbus, OH **
April 2 The Bluebird Bloomington, IN **
April 3 Zanzabar Louisville, KY **
April 5 Record Bar Kansas City, MO **
April 6 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN **
April 7 Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL **
April 8 The Grog Shop Cleveland, OH**
April 9 Lee’s Palace Toronto, ONT**
April 10 Studio Juste Pour Rire Montreal, QC**
April 11 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
* with April Smith as support
** with Lawrence Arabia and Robert Francis as support

more at Fanfarlo.com

Sigur Ros frontman goes solo; adds tour dates

Sigur Rós frontman, Jónsi Birgisson is prepping his first ever solo album, called, Go. The new disc hits stores on March 23 via XL recordings and Jónsi has recently added a slew of North American tour dates to accompany the albums release. For the upcoming live shows Jónsi has teamed up with production company 59 productions, to create a cross-artform live stage show which will include an eclectic marriage of film, art installation, theatre performance and live concert.
You can check out the video below for an inside look into the live stage show being produced.

Jónsi live show by 59 Productions from Jónsi on Vimeo.

April
6 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Vogue Theatre
7 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Vogue Theatre
9 – Seattle, Wash. @ The ShowBox SoDo
10 – Seattle, Wash. @ The ShowBox SoDo
13 – Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theatre
15 – Berkeley, Calif. @ Zellerbach Auditorium
16 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Palace of Fine Arts
18 – Indio, Calif @ Coachella
21 – Denver, Colo. @ Paramount Theatre
22 – Lawrence, Kan. @ Liberty Hall
24 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Pantages Theatre
25 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Pantages Theatre
26 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Pabst Theatre
27 – Chicago, Ill. @ Vic Theatre
28 – Chicago, Ill. @ Vic Theatre
30 – Toronto, Ontario @Sound Academy
May
1 – Toronto, Ontario @Sound Academy
2 – Montreal, Quebec @ Metropolis
3 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Electric Factory
5 – Boston, Mass. @ House of Blues
6 – Boston, Mass. @ House of Blues
8 – New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
9 – New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5

more at Jonsi.com

Gaslight Anthem announce new album coming this Spring

The Gaslight Anthem have been hard at work recording their follow-up to 2008's breakthrough album, The ‘59 Sound. The new album will be called American Slang and it is due to be released this June 15 on SideOneDummy records.
For the forthcoming LP the band has been teamed up with producer Ted Hutt at The Magic Shop in NYC, and frontman Brian Fallon has recently told NME that the new disc will see the New Jersey based group step away from their influences.
“For the last record we looked really into it and we asked ‘What are our influences and how do we jam them in?’”.... “And on this one, we’re writing songs that we feel are relevant to us.”

Speaking of influences, check out this great performance of the band from Hyde Park in London jamming with one of their idols, Bruce Springsteen, who joined the guys for the song, "The '59 Sound."



The Gaslight Anthem.com

Handsome Furs: Do documentary series for CNN

The Handsome Furs, comprised of husband and wife duo, Alexei Perry and Dan Boeckner had one of the best albums of '09 with their second LP, Face Conrtol on Sub Pop records. Well known for their dynamic live shows the pair has had the opportunity to travel the globe in support of their latest album, and even had the chance to team up with CNN for a series of tour diaries while on tour in Asia, the first part of which is up on CNN's website now.

watch Handsome Furs tour diary pt 1 here.

visit handsomefurs.com

Sharon Van Etten- download new song, watch new video

Brooklyn singer, Sharon Van Etten had herself a breakout year in 2009 with her album, Because I Was In Love, which appeared in our top 20 albums of the year list. Not looking to slow down in '10 Sharon recently sat down with music blog
Muzzle of Bees for a new video series they kicked off called, Broken Harbors, which saw Sharon perform the song, "A Joke or a Lie."
In other news Sharon just released a new mp3 over at Weathervanemusic.org for a new track titled, "Love More" which you can download for free here.


Broken Harbors: Sharon Van Etten - A Joke Or A Lie from Colin Bridgham on Vimeo.


visit SharonVanEtten.com

get to know: Strand of Oaks

It was the Damien Jurado comparisons that made me give Strand of Oaks an initial listen, but it was his music that made me stick around and want to find out more.
Thought it was an interesting story too, so here's a little of his bio:
Strand of Oaks is Timothy Showalter, an Indiana Mennonite turned Pennsylvania Hebrew Dayschool teacher who even drives the school bus for extra cash (and has sing-alongs with the pupils as they ease on down the road). While escaping a relationship gone worse, Showalter returned home one day to a house burned down, leaving all of his earthly possessions charred in flames. Spending nights in downtown hotels and on park benches with a borrowed guitar, he began to face the proverbial demons.
Out of all this spawned Showalter's latest release, Leave Ruin, which is out now on La Société Expéditionnaire.
Strand of Oaks just announced a new round of tour dates, which you can catch below.

Strand of Oaks- "End in Flames"

Strand Of Oaks on the road:
02/16 - North Manchester, IN - The Firehouse
02/17 - Ypsilanti, MI - The Elbow Room w/ Chris Bathgate
02/18 - Grand Rapids, MI - The DAAC
02/19 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon w/ Juniper Tar, Common Loon
02/20 - Milwuakee, WI - Cactus Club w/ Daredevil Christopher Wright, Conrad Plymouth
02/21 - Chicago, IL - Halfway Lounge w/ Mako Sica
02/24 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop w/ Vollmar, Mayor of Rocky, Ripple
02/25 - Akron, OH - The Manitee
02/26 - Columbus, OH - Skylab w/ The Black Swans
02/27 - Millheim, PA - Elk Creek Tavern w/ Chicken Tractor
02/28 - Frostburg, MD - House Show
03/01 - Baltimore, MD - The Wind Up Space
03/02 - Kutztown, PA - Eckhaus Gallery w/ Bad Temple
03/03 - Brooklyn, NY - Zebulon
03/04 - Stroudsburg, PA - Main St. Jukebox
03/05 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fire w/ Hezekiah Jones

Strand of Oaks on myspace.

Stream new Phantogram album, 'Eyelid Movies'

Proving that you don't have to be from Brooklyn to be a cool NY band, this upstate NY (Saratoga) duo have been generating a ton of buzz with their '09 EP, and soon to be released debut album titled, Eyelid Movies. The new album doesn't hit stores until next week, Feb 9th, but if you head over to NPR.org here, you can stream the album in full right now.

Phantogram-"When I'm Small"


Phantogram's upcoming tour dates:
Feb 3 STATE THEATRE State College, Penn.
Feb 4 CROCODILE ROCK Allentown, Penn.
Feb 5 NORTHERN LIGHTS Clifton Park, New York
Feb 8 RED DOOR Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Feb 9 GREAT SCOTT Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 11 UNION HALL Brooklyn, New York
Feb 12 MERCURY LOUNGE NYC, New York
Feb 13 KUNG FU NECKTIE Philadelphia, Penn.
Feb 15 DC9 Washington, DC
Feb 16 THE TREEHOUSE Columbus, Ohio
Feb 17 SCHUBAS TAVERN Chicago, Illinois
Feb 18 7TH STREET ENTRY Minneapolis, Minn.
Feb 20 THE DRAKE HOTEL Toronto
Feb 21 II MOTORE Montreal, Quebec
Feb 22 MONKEY HOUSE Burlington, Vermont

more Phantogram on myspace.

We Are Wolves: 'Invisible Violence'

Montreal’s We Are Wolves are out digitally today with their third album titled, Invisible Violence, on Dare To Care. The electro-rock infused disc, which is also physically in stores on Feb 23, was produced by Radwan Moumneh (Three Silver Mt. Zion, Pas Chic Chic) and Hadji Bakara (Wolf Parade).
You can get familiar with the band by checking out their new track, “Blue” which is available for download below.
We Are Wolves- "Blue"

We Are Wolves on the road:
Feb 4 Great Scott Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 5 Studio @ Webster Hall NYC, New York
Feb 6 Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn, New York
Feb 18 Box-Office Drummondville, Quebec
Mar 5 Les Nocturnes du Musée d’art Montréal, Quebec
Mar 6 Trou du diable Shawinigan, Quebec
Mar 18 SXSW M for Mtl showcase @ Paradise Cafe Austin, Tx
Apr 1 Imperial de Quebec, Quebec
Apr 6 The Ale House Kingston, Ontario
Apr 7 Pheonix Concert Theatre Toronto, Ontario
May 15 Nuits Sonores @ Place de la Bourse. Lyon

more at We Are Wolves.net

'Song of the Week' : Frightened Rabbit- "Nothing Like You"; band adds US dates

Armed with a new album this coming March, Frightened Rabbit will be making their return to U.S. shores that same month with an appearance at SXSW, followed by a more detailed North American trek in April.
In other news the band just unveiled a new video from the new album for the killer track, "Nothing Like You."
Man am I looking forward to this one. The Winter of Mixed Drinks hits stores on March 2nd via Fat Cat Records.


Frightened Rabbit on MUZU

Frightened Rabbit North American Tour Dates:
March 12 - 21 SXSW Festival, Austin, TX
17 Apr - Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Indio CA
19 Apr - The Clubhouse, Tempe AZ
21 Apr - Walters, Houston TX
22 Apr - Loft @ Palladium Ballroom, Dallas TX
23 Apr - Revolution, Little Rock AR
24 Apr - The Masquerade, Atlanta GA
25 Apr - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro NC
27 Apr - Black Cat, Washington DC
28 Apr - Webster Hall, New York NY
29 Apr - Paradise, Boston MA
30 Apr - First Unitarian, Philadelphia PA
3 May - Petit Campus, Montreal QC
4 May - Opera House, Toronto ON
6 May - Southgate House, Newport KY
7 May - The Old Rock House, St. Louis MO
8 May - Metro, Chicago IL
9 May - Pabst Theater, Milwaukee WI
10 May - Varsity Theater, Minneapolis MN
12 May - Bluebird Theater, Denver CO
13 May - Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City UT
15 May - Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver BC
16 May - Neumo's, Seattle WA
17 May - Berbati's Pan, Portland OR
19 May - The Fillmore, San Francisco CA
22 May - Casbah, San Diego CA

more Frightened Rabbit on their myspace.

new video: Mumford & Sons- "The Cave"

Just the other day we were talking about the UK group, Mumford & Sons, and how the band will be see the physical release of their debut album, Sigh No More in the U.S. this Feb 16th. The group just came out with a new video for one of my favorite tracks off the disc called, "The Cave."
The band will also be hitting the road in a few major cities across the U.S. the same week as the albums release, stopping in NYC at The Bowery Ballroom on Feb 18.



Upcoming tour dates:
Feb 9 The Troubadour Los Angeles
Feb 11 Pop Scene San Francisco
Feb 15 Lee’s Palace Toronto
Feb 18 Bowery Ballroom New York
Feb 21 Festival Super Mon Amour Paris
Mar 3 ABC Glasgow
Mar 4 Academy 1 Manchester
Mar 6 Wulfrun Wolverhampton
Mar 7 Newcastle Uni Newcastle
Mar 9 Academy Liverpool
Mar 10 Junction Cambridge
Mar 12 Corn Exchange Brighton
Mar 13 Shepherd’s Bush Empire London
Mar 14 Shepherd’s Bush Empire London
Mar 16 Queen’s Hall Edinburgh
Mar 18 Academy Dublin
Mar 20 Mandella Hall Belfast

visit Mumford & Sons.com for more info