Minus The Bear go 'Acoustic'

Minus The Bear are releasing a new EP titled, Acoustics on Oct. 7th. The new EP will be feature newly recorded acoustic versions of various tracks from the Seattle bands back catologue, along with a brand new track entitled "Guns & Ammo." The EP will be available digitally via online outlets like iTunes, Amazon and Emusic, while physical copies will be sold exclusively on the bands headlining tour. To check all the latest tour dates you can visit the bands myspace.

Acoustics track listing:

1. Guns & Ammo (new track)
2. We Are Not a Football Team (from the album, Highly Refined Pirates)
3. Burying Luck (from the album, Planet of Ice)
4. Knights (from the album, Planet of Ice)
5. Pachuca Sunrise (from the album, Menos El Oso)
6. Throwin' Shapes (from the album, Planet of Ice)
7. Ice Monster (from the album, Planet of Ice)

new video: Wye Oak- "Please Concrete"

This past April, Merge records re-released Wye Oak's fantastic debut disc, If Children. For those who haven't caught the two man band yet, the album is one of the year's pure indie rock gems (to read our review you can go here). The pair have been busy on the road since the album's release, but recently had some time to release a brand new video for their track "Please Concrete", directed by Caleb Stine and Eric Diga.

Wye Oak- "Please Concrete":



For tour dates & more go to Wye Oak on myspace.

New Releases Wk 9/30:

Here's this weeks short list of new releases that might peak your interests.

New Releases week of 9/30:

Mercury Rev- Snowflake Midnight
Chairlift- Does You Inspire You
Deerhoof- Offend Maggie (digital)
Jesus & Mary Chain- The Power of Negative Thinking (B sides & rarities)
William Fitzsimmons- The Sparrow And The Crow
Gemma Hayes- Hollow Of Morning
Joseph Arthur- Temporary People
Joshua Radin- Simple Times
Dungen- 4
La Rocca -OK Okay
Travis- Ode to J. Smith
The Western States Motel- Painted Birds Flying...
Vivian Girls- self titled
Born Ruffians- Little Garcon EP
Angus & Julia Stone- Just a Boy EP
The Killers- Human (single)

Our 'Liner Notes' video intvw w/ Frightened Rabbit

Scotland's Frightened Rabbit has been building a slow and steady buzz ever since their sophomore CD The Midnight Organ Fight hit the scene earlier in the year. Garnering attention the old fashioned way, the band has built their following through first and foremost a more than solid album, a reputation for their electric live performances, word of mouth from die hard fans and even a wave of nearly flawless reviews.

We sat down with frontman Scott Hutchinson from Frightened Rabbit recently while he was at a stop in Brussels to tackle topics such as the bands intimate lyrics, pressure for a follow up album and the Scottish music scene.

our 'Liner Notes' interview w/ Frightened Rabbit:

Video & Song Of the week: The Gutter Twins- "Down The Line" cover

Several weeks back our favorite princes of darkness, The Gutter Twins released a new 8 song EP Adorata, which featured several new tracks along with rest being mostly covers the band has been playing out. One of the standouts of the EP is the bands take on "Down The Line", which was originally done by José Gonzalez. The dark somber lyrics fit effortlessly into the Twins repertoire, which you can catch a live performance of from this years Lollapalooza festival.


The Gutter Twins- "Down The Line"

Passion Pit- Chunk Of Change

There's many that would argue that Valentine's Day is a holiday that shouldn't be celebrated. Don't tell that to fans of the electro-pop band from Boston, Passion Pit, as they have a lot to owe to the holiday. You see, frontman Michael Angelakos originally put together the Chunk of Change EP as a belated Valentine's Day present to his girlfriend, which then spread to friends and fellow students at Emerson College, catching on like wild fire and Passion Pit was born. The band has been on a roll ever since, having recently signed on to French Kiss records who re-released the album earlier in Sept, as well seeing the band head out on tours opening for acts like Death Cab For Cutie & Girl Talk.
Chunk Of Change is full of carefree electro-synth, led by the track that has left everyone buzzing, "Sleepyhead". The track already has many hailing it as song of the year, and Sleepyhead's sample heavy, handclapping, swirling vocals are perfect examples of the infectios nature of the band. Angelakos' falsetto, set against his melancholy lyrics mix perfectly on tracks such as "I've Got Your Number" and Better Things", while "Smile Upon Me" delivers sunny pop bliss.

Following the EP, Passion Pit is on schedule to deliver it's debut full length, which should be coming out in early 2009.

Upcoming tour dates:

10/4 - Pop Montreal w/ The Dodos - MONTREAL, Quebec
10/11 - Boston @ Middle East with Les Savy Fav
10/27 - Neumo’s w/ Yelle - Seattle, Washington
10/28 - Commodore Ballroom w/ Yelle - Vancouver, British Columbia
10/29 - Berbati’s Pan w/ Yelle - Portland, Oregon
10/31 - Mezzanine W/ Yelle - San Francisco, California
11/1 - Henry Fonda Theatre w/ Yelle - Los Angeles, California
11/2 - The Beauty Bar w/ Yelle - San Diego, California

Passion Pit on Myspace

new video: The Shaky Hands- "We Are Young"

The Pacific Northwest continues to be a hotbed of talent, more specifically from Portland, Oregon. The latest group to catch our attention is the jangly indie rock band The Shaky Hands. The group released their sophomore LP a few weeks back and just released a new video for their first single off the disc "We Are Young". The band is currently on tour (see dates below) supporting the new disc and are playing some of the dates with Canada's The Acorn.

The Shaky Hands- "We Are Young":



Sep 27 backspace portland, Oregon
Oct 16 Doug Fir w/ The Acorn Portland, Oregon
Oct 17 Tractor w/ The Acorn Seattle, Washington
Oct 19 Sam Bond’s Garage w/ The Acorn Eugene, Oregon
Oct 21 Hemlock w/ The Acorn San Francisco, California
Oct 22 Crepe Place w/ The Acorn Santa Cruz, California
Oct 24 Spaceland w/ The Acorn Los Angeles, California
Oct 25 Modified w/ The Acorn Phoenix, Arizona
Oct 28 Hi Dive w/ The Acorn Denver, Colorado
Oct 29 Slowdown w/ The Acorn Omaha, Nebraska
Oct 30 7th Street Eatery w/ The Acorn Minneapolis
Oct 31 Café Montmartre w/ The Acorn Madison, Wisconsin
Nov 1 Schuba’s w/ The Acorn Chicago, Illinois
Nov 4 Middle East, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Nov 6 Johnny Brendas Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 8 Mercury Lounge new york, New York
Nov 10 local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The Shaky Hands on myspace.

Rachael Yamagata live @ Johnny Brenda's- Philly 9/24

For fans of Rachael Yamagata the anticipation has been building for quite some time now, ever since news of her long awaited new album was announced. So it's no wonder that at Johnny Brenda's last night in Philadelphia that the pre-show atmosphere quickly turned into a swelling of chants waiting for Rachael to take the stage (to see the photo gallery from the show click here). Yamagata opened the set with a rare treat of "Collide" off her 2003 EP and then launched straight into the popular "Be Be Your Love", which as soon as she began playing had the crowd going nuts at least a full minute into the song. From there on out Rachael mixed in songs both off of her brilliant debut LP Happenstance and her new Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart. Older tracks "Letter Read" and "Worn Me Down" were highlights as were the heavier tracks "Faster" and "Sidedish Friend" off of the new disc, which showcased her band of Jason Kanakis(guitar), Justin Saunders(Cello), Jon Flaugher(Bass), Chris Giraldi(Drums), and the opener Kevin Devine sitting in on guitar most of the set.

In between songs Yamagata was candid with the crowd, chatting on topics ranging from her difficulty in switching labels, to relationships and drinking. Towards the end of the set the festive night took another turn, as the band along with the crowd serenaded Rachael with a happy birthday champage toast. Back to the music, the intimate new track "Elephants" was also a standout with just Yamagata and her piano commanding the stage, while the tender "Sunday Afternoon" closed things out before an encore of the heartbreaking "Reason Why".

Rachael's new album doesn't come out until Oct. 7th, in the meantime you can preview new tracks over at RachaelYamagata.com

story and photo's contributed by: Robert Proffe

Elbow on Later w/ Jools Holland

Earlier this month Elbow took home the the Nationwide Mercury Prize, which is awarded for the best album in the UK and Ireland. The group had to beat out some pretty heavy competition, including Radiohead and The Last Shadow Puppets. To celebrate the big win the band made an appearance Tuesday night on the popular BBC2 chat & music show Later W/ Jools Holland.

Elbow- "Grounds For Divorce" on Later W/Jools Holland

The Rosebuds- streaming new album, tour dates added

The Raleigh North Carolina duo of Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp known as The Rosebuds, have announced that their new LP Life Like will be coming out on 0ct. 7th. The band which is known for it's chameleon like ability to change styles, are said to have returned to a more acoustic and indie-rock territory on the latest work. This will be in sharp contrast to 2007's synth-heavy dance pop album Night of the Furies.
The new album includes special guests such as Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and Portastatic's Matthew McCaughan, you can currently listen to the album streaming in full over at the Merge records website.

Upcoming The Rosebuds Tour Dates:
Oct. 23 Washington DC - Black Cat
Oct. 24 Brooklyn, NY - The Bellhouse
Oct 25 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge (Merge Records CMJ showcase)
Nov. 7 Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre (Troika Music Festival)
Nov. 11 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
Nov. 12 Indianapolis, IN - My Old Kentucky Blog Concert
Nov. 13 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
Nov. 14 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Nov. 15 Iowa City, IA - The Picador
Nov. 16 Saint Paul, MN - Turf Club
Nov. 19 Vancouver, BC - Media Club
Nov. 20 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
Nov. 21 Anacortes, WA - The Department of Safety
Nov. 22 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Nov. 24 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
Nov. 25 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
Nov. 26 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
Nov. 28 Denton, TX - Hailey's
Nov. 29 Austin, TX - Mohawk
Dec. 1 Atlanta, GA - The Earl

The Rosebuds on myspace.

Serena Ryder- New music on the way

It's been a stellar year for Toronto Canada's Serena Ryder. Earlier in 2008, Ryder took home the Juno Award (Canada's version of the Grammy's) for best New Artist of the Year. Now Ryder has announced plans for both a new EP, which drops in the US next month followed by a new full length LP later on in the year. The EP Sweeping The Ashes will be available in the US beginning October 14th, while the forthcoming album Is It O.K will be coming out on November 11th in Canada and February 17th, 2009 in the US.

You can Listen to two of the new songs, "Little Bit Of Red" and "Sweeping The Ashes" now on her myspace. All 3 tracks available on the EP will also be appearing on the forthcoming full length.

"Sweeping The Ashes EP" tracklist:
1. Sweeping The Ashes
2. Little Bit Of Red
3. Blown Like The Wind At Night


Listen to Serena Ryder on myspace.

Ezra Carey- The Fire Keeps Us Warm

Ezra Carey is an artist we have been keeping tabs on for a while now. In fact, when this whole blog thing just got off the ground he actually gave us our first interview at BTB (to read the interview click here). Ezra is now out with a new album, the aptly titled The Fire Keeps Us Warm. On the new work, Carey who's voice itself is earthy, warm and comforting delivers a nostalgic brand of folk music that sounds at the same time both familiar and fresh. The disc is rich and inviting, capturing an essence of an old country campfire or your most comfortable family living room. The album is neither part of the more popular indie folk or anti-folk movements, but is at it's core deeply traditional. While similar to his previous EP in the traditional sense, this time around on The Fire Keeps Us Warm we see Carey enlisting the help of the exquisite backing vocals of Mallory Posedel. Posedel compliments Carey's voice perfectly, bringing a new depth to his sound, while also adding to the already inviting nature of the LP.

Tracks not to miss include, "Lost & Lonely", "Lay Me Down", "Riverbed", "The Fire Keeps Us Warm" and "Amalee".

Listen to Ezra Carey on Myspace.

This weeks New Releases: WK 9/23

A heavily anicipated and heavily loaded release week this week. With releases from big names such as TV On The Radio, Cold War Kids, Kings Of Leon and Jenny Lewis to name a few.

Here's the rundown:

Cold War Kids- Loyalty to Loyalty
Kings Of Leon- Only By The Night
TV On The Radio- Dear Science
Mogwai- The Hawk is Howling
Ten Kens- self titled
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Friendly Fires- self titled
Thievery Corporation- Radio Retaliation
Blitzen Trapper- Furr
Tracy Shedd- Cigarettes & Smoke Machines
Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free
All Girl Summer Fun Band- Looking Into It
Wire- Object 47
These United States- Crimes
Bjork- Dull Flame of Desire
Joshua James- Crash This Train/The Garden EP
Lights- self titled EP
The Ravonettes- Sometimes They Drop By EP
Deerhoof- Fresh Born (single)

Bear Hands- new songs posted

Unsigned Brooklyn rockers Bear Hands have been working on some new tracks that they have just put up on their myspace page. The tracks, "Can't Stick Em" and "What a Drag" see the band working with producer Chuck Brody(Northern State) in what will eventually be the follow up to 2007's Golden EP. In other band news, the aforementioned 4 song EP is getting a release date in the UK on October 27th by Guerilla Music. To coincide with the release of the EP, the band will be playing a handful of shows in the UK at the end of October. In the meantime you can check out a video for another of the bands recent demo's, "Vietnam" from their performance on the indie rock show Fearless TV.

Bear Hands- Vietnam



For dates and info check out Bear Hands on Myspace.

Video & Song of the week: Samantha Crain-"Traipsing Through The Aisles"

Young singer songwriter Samantha Crain and her track "Traipsing Through The Aisles" are our choice for 'Video & Song of the Week' this week. Crain and her band the Midnight Shivers released her Confiscation EP this past July, which has been garnering a slow and study build the last few months. It's likely that Crain will see her star rise even further in the coming months as she will be taking part in the newest edition of the 'Hotel Cafe Tour' , where she will be sharing the stage with the likes of Ingrid Michaelson, Thao Nguyen, Meiko and Rachael Yamagata. In the past, the tour has been a launching ground for more than a few artists to reach wider recognition and added exposure. With a voice like Crain's it's only a matter of time before she joins the ranks of her more well known peers.


Samantha Crain- "Traipsing Through The Aisles":



Samantha Crain's dates w/ The Hotel Cafe tour:

Oct 23 Common Grounds--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Ingrid Michaelson Gainesville, Florida
Oct 24 State Theatre--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Ingrid Michaelson, Thao Nguyen, and Meiko Saint Petersburg, Florida
Oct 25 The Social--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Ingrid Michaelson Orlando, Florida
Oct 27 Cat’s Cradle--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Ingrid Michaelson and Thao Nguyen Carrboro, North Carolina
Oct 28 9:30 Club--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Rachael Yamagata and Jenny Owen Youngs Washington, Washington DC
Oct 29 World Cafe--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Rachael Yamagata and Jenny Owen Youngs Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 30 Bowery Ballroom--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Rachael Yamagata and Thao Nguyen New York, New York
Oct 31 Paradise Club--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Rachael Yamagata, Thao Nguyen, and Jenny Owen Youngs Boston, Massachusetts
Nov 1 Music Hall of Williamsburg--Hotel Cafe Tour w/ Rachael Yamagata and Thao Nguyen Brooklyn, New York

Listen to Samantha Crain on myspace.

Dead Confederate- Wrecking Ball

The Athens, Georgia band Dead Confederate gained notoriety back in 2007 for their self titled EP, which featured their psych-rock stunner "The Rat", which is already high in our minds for a year end top songs list. On their new album Wrecking Ball, the group mixes sounds of early 90's grunge with southern and indie rock to create their own compelling brand of angst.
Right from the opener "Heavy Petting", frontman Hardy Morris sets the tone with his raspy beer soaked growl over non-stop relentless cymbal crashes. "The Rat", which is actually a protest song about the religious right in America makes an appearance on the full length as well, with it's swelling wall of distortion. The album is both loud and aggressive, "Start Me Laughing" is a frenetic display of guitar and drums that rumble under Morris' hurried screams. Tracks like "Goner" with it's soft to loud and back again swing and "Flesh Colored Canvas" with all it's peaks and valleys show the bands diversity, with the latter checking in at 12 plus minutes of raw intensity.
While the band has drawn lot's of comparisons to Nirvana for it's partial early 90's sound, on 'Wrecking Ball' they show they can not only hold their own, but they can carve out their own sound while making a lasting impression as well.

Listen to Dead Confederate.

Radiohead- unveil second remix project

Several months back, Radiohead launched a remix project for their song "Nude". The band posted different parts of the song, vocals, guitar, bass and drums, etc., letting anyone who thought they had the skills tackle their own take on the track. The endeavor was a hit not only with fans who got to vote on their favorite remix, but also with artists who took part in the mixing, and even with Radiohead themselves as they saw "Nude" become a successful single. The band has just announced the second go around of remixing, this time around for their track "Reckoner".

Anyone who took part in the "Nude" project received a heads up email from the band which offered advance access to the pieces which are available in order to remix "Reckoner". For the rest of the public those parts of the song will go up for sale digitally starting on Tuesday, Sept. 23. For "Reckoner", you'll be able to download tracks for "Lead Vocal", "Guitars", "Bass", "Drums", "Backing Vocal", and "Piano/Strings".

To find out more information you can check things out at http://radioheadremix.com/ for more details.

TV On The Radio- tour and album news

NYC's TV On The Radio will be dropping their new LP, Dear Science on us next Tuesday the 23rd. For those that just can't wait, the new disc is currently appearing in the US iTunes store, not only days in advance but in both a regular and "bonus track" edition. With the bonus track edition you'll recieve the extra tracks "Make Love All Night", "Dogs of Light", "Heroic Dose", along with several TVOTR remixes.
In other band news, the group has added several dates in Europe to the back end of their already multi-international tour.

TV On The Radio Tour dates:

09-27 Hamburg, Germany - Reeperbahn Festival
09-28 Berlin, Germany - Roter Salon
09-30 Paris, France - Nouveau Casino
10-01 Amsterdam, Netherlands - VPRO Presents
10-03 London, England - Concrete and Glass Festival
10-10 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
10-11 Providence, RI - Lupo's
10-13 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre
10-14 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple
10-15 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple
10-15 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple
10-18 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
10-19 Indianapolis, IN - Vogue Theater
10-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
10-21 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
10-22 Chicago, IL - Riviera
10-24 New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Festival
10-25 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
10-26 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
10-28 Dallas, TX - Lakewood Theatre
10-29 Beaumont, TX - House of Blues
10-30 Austin, TX - Stubb's
10-31 Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
11-02 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
11-06 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
11-08 San Diego, CA - 4th and B
11-09 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
11-15 Dublin, Ireland - Tripod (Heineken Green Synergy Festival)
11-16 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC 1
11-17 Manchester, England - Academy 2
11-18 Birmingham, England - Academy 2
11-19 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire
11-21 Cologne, Germany - Kulturkirche
11-22 Leuven, Belgium - Het Depot
11-24 Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
11-23 Berlin, Germany - SO36
11-26 Vienna, Austra - Arena
11-28 Milan, Italy - Magazzini Generale
11-29 Munich, Germany - OP3 Radio
11-30 Zurich, Switzerland - Aktionshalle
12-01 Paris, France - Balaclan
12-03 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
12-05 Tourcoing, France - Le Grand Mix

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: new album plans

The man notorious for a seemingly never ending supply of new material (see: 2005's 3 releases), Ryan Adams, has announced plans for the follow up to last years 'Easy Tiger' and 'Follow The Lights' EP. His newest album titled Cardinology, will be coming out on October 28th via Lost Highway Records and features Adams and his longtime backing band The Cardinals. Adams recently wrapped up touring with Oasis' feuding Gallagher brothers and will be embarking on a headlining tour of his own, with dates beginning on Sept. 25th in Albany, NY with more to be announced soon.


Ryan Adams & The Cardinals upcoming tour dates:

Sept 25 Albany, NY – The Egg
Sept 26 Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theater
Sept 27 Rochester, NY – Auditorium Theater
Sept 29 Columbus, OH – Palace Theater
Sept 30 Cleveland, OH – Palace Theater
Oct 2 Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
Oct 3 Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theater
Oct 4 St. Louis, MO – Fox Theater
Oct 5 Madison, WI – Overture Hall
Oct 7 Ames, IA – Stephens Auditorium
Oct 9 Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
Oct 10 Tulsa, OK – Brady Theater
Oct 11 Grand Prairie, TX – Nokia Theater
Oct 13 Austin, TX – Paramount
Oct 14 Houston, TX – Verizon
Oct 16 Tuscaloosa, AL – Bama Theater
Oct 17 Atlanta, GA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

new Portugal. The Man

Portugal. The Man’s newest album Censored Colors , came out earlier this week. The new disc is the eccentric Seattle bands third full length, which features fifteen new tracks with two varying sides of music. The first side of the disc is compiled of six laid back folk driven single tracks, while the second side consists of longer more experimental compositions which segue from one into the next. The band can currently be seen on tour in Europe, returning to the States on Oct 14th for a full fledged tour across the US.
In the meantime, we recently found a cool acoustic performance of the track "Colors" that the band put up on their youtube site.

Portugal,The Man- "Colors":



Portugal. The Man on myspace.

Jessica Lea Mayfield- With Blasphemy So Heartfelt

Jessica Lea Mayfield is a young singing sensation from Ohio. At only 19, and armed with a voice that has drawn comparisons that range from Mazzy Starr & Lucinda Williams to Neko Case, Mayfield has even caught the eye of several contemporaries. She has recently toured with The Avett Brothers, Lucero, and The Black Keys, with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys being so impressed that not only did he have Mayfield do some backup vocals on their last album, but he also took the controls for her debut, producing the LP.

Upon the first few listens do yourself a favor and forget the comparisons, Mayfield undoubtedly has a unique sound, a style that begs to be genre bending and all her own. Her vocal delivery is equal parts sultry and edgy, while at the same time sounding down home and earthy with her slow southern drawl. Musically the disc weaves pieces of indie-folk, blues and country sounds around her stories of heartbreak and loss, while somehow giving it all an optimistic vibe. From the dark and brooding opener "Kiss Me Again", Mayfield lures you in with her gut wrenching approach. Songs like "I Can't Lie To You Love" with it's slow haunting guitar and the soft simple acoustic number "Call Me" display Mayfield's sparse arrangements which showcase the emotion in her music, almost feeling the torture and lament of the lost love that Mayfield sings of. "The One That I Love Best" is the fullest arrangement on the album, complete with hammond B3 organ, while the track "Bible Days" could be the albums standout, while also showing off Mayfield's strong songwriting prowess.
Overall the album shows a maturity and depth far beyond her years, let alone for a debut, and lends the opinion that she is someone we'll be hearing a lot more from in years to come.

Jessica Lea Mayfield on Mspace.