Evel Knievel, legendary daredevil, dies

Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil whose stunts — including an attempted leap over Idaho’s Snake River Canyon — made him a popular cultural figure, is dead, according to his Web site, evelknievel.com. He was 69.
Knievel

Evel Knievel was known for his daredevil stunts.

Over his career, Knievel was said to have broken practically every bone in his body — some multiple times. With his red-white-and-blue jumpsuits, shock of hair and stone-faced mein, he was a fixture on ABC’s program “Wide World of Sports” in the 1970s, his stunts perennial ratings-grabbers.

Knievel’s most famous stunt was probably an attempt to jump the quarter-mile wide Snake River Canyon in 1974 on his rocket-powered “Sky-Cycle.” (He had hoped to jump the Grand Canyon, but couldn’t get permission.) The attempt failed, but the publicity was priceless.

His fame even spawned a movie, “Viva Knievel!” in 1977.

Robert Craig Knievel was born October 17, 1938, in Butte, Montana.
(via cnn)

Band of Horses adds dates in December and beyond

Ben Bridwell and his Band of Horses will gallop on into 2008 with continued U.S. touring. The band will close out this year with a three-night run in Atlanta that includes a New Year’s Eve gig. Then Band of Horses fires up the road tripping again in January in the band’s home state of South Carolina. All of this of course comes in support of second album Cease to Begin, which has already garnered some year-end love.

12/28, 29, 31 Atlanta, GA – Earl
1/20 Charleston, SC – Music Farm
1/21 Norfolk, VA – NorVa
1/22 Philadelphia, PA – Fillmore at TLA
1/23 Boston, MA – Paradise
1/24 State College, PA – State Theatre
1/25 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
1/26 Louisville, KY – Headliners
1/27 Newport, KY – Southgate House
1/29 Nashville, TN – Exit/In
1/30 Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone
1/31 St. Louis, MO – Gargoyle at Washington University
2/1 Norman, OK – Meecham Auditorium
2/2 Dallas, TX – Palladium
2/3 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
2/4 Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
2/6 Birmingham, AL – Bottletree
2/7 Tallahassee, FL – Beta Bar
2/9-10 Orlando, FL – Social
2/12 Mt. Pleasant, SC – Village Tavern

EMI to cut RIAA funding

Back before the RIAA was an acronym to be feared, the big four (Warner, Sony BMG, Universal, and EMI) would give the organization approximately $132.48 million a year. In earlier days, the RIAA was friend to the major label, as they, alongside IFPI, provided valuable data about industry and consumer trends, and served to make sure labels and artists received money owed to them. Funny how suing a 12 year old girl from the projects will ruin your rep. Now Reuters and Slashdot are reporting that EMI has plans to significantly cut funding to the RIAA. It’s not such a bad idea; the RIAA and their strong arm tactics have made the already dislikable 4-headed behemoth even less appetizing. Sony and Universal haven’t had much to say on the subject, but Time Warner’s CEO has already apparently vocalized displeasure with the RIAA and their litigious crew. Time may reveal this to be the first in a series of debilitating blows to the RIAA, and perhaps the beginning of their end.

Gorillaz: ‘D-Sides’ (Album Review)

Crazy as a second Gorillaz B-sides album might sound, this rummage through the ‘Demon Days’ cutting room floor is totally justified. ‘We Are Happy Landfill’ veers between organ-driven ’70s rock and giddy punk rock on a jaw-clenching prozac high, while ‘The Rockit’ doffs a cheeky cap to Damon’s roots; with its deadpan delivery and taut, funky bass riff it sounds almost like an old Blockheads single… until the far-out synths that resemble bonking robots make their appearance, that is. But the highlight is ‘Hong Kong’ – the seven-minute epic recorded for War Child. Over a pulsating backing of acoustic guitars, pianos and a load of instruments whose arse you probably wouldn’t know from their elbow, Damon ponders “The rising of an eastern sun” and a DJ with “well conditioned hair”. It’s a reminder that he’s one of our finest-ever songwriters, whether hiding behind a dead-eyed anime avatar or not.
(Barry Nicolson)

Radiohead Sketches Out European Tour Dates

Radiohead has revealed a wealth of information on its Web site about its summer European tour, but in typically cryptic fashion, has withheld most specific dates and venues.

The only shows with complete date, city and venue information are Milan (June 18, Civica Arena) and appearances at Germany’s Hurricane (June 20) and Southside Festivals (June 22). Radiohead will also play Barcelona’s Daydream festival in June and Denmark’s Roskilde festival in early July.

Beyond that, there are plans to play the following cities in June: Dublin (two dates), Paris (two dates), Nimes, France (two dates), London (two dates), Glasgow and Manchester, England.

In July, Radiohead will visit Amsterdam, Germany’s Werchter Festival and Berlin. The group will be touring in support of “In Rainbows,” which will see physical release Dec. 31 in England via XL Recordings and Jan. 1 in North America via TBD Records/ATO Music Group.

New Earth album to land in February

Loud and noisy trio Earth is all done with a new album with the lengthy, odd name of The Bee Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull. It’s scheduled for a February release via Southern Lord and features all new material, after this year’s Hibernaculum found the band reworking some old material. The Bee features legendary guitarist Bill Frisell, who has worked with everyone from John Zorn to Elvis Costello, on three tracks. Earth expected tour extensively across…yes…Planet Earth when the album comes out, starting overseas before coming back to the states. For now, the band has a handful of West Coast shows planned for late December. Details on those after the jump…

12/27 Portland, OR – Dante’s
12/29 Sacramento, CA – The Blue Lamp w/ Giant Squid
12/30 Santa Cruz, CA – Brookdale Lodge
12/31 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall w/ Neurosis

Morrissey signs new record deal, needs to be institutionalized

In a very exclusive interview in the current issue of the NME, Morrissey announced that he will release his new album through Polydor/Decca. The label will be putting out a “best of” compilation of his solo work in 2008 and Morrissey revealed that he is working on a new album. Just don’t expect the album to have a theme (in the event that you were):

“I don’t think there’s ever been a theme to any of my records, I don’t need the chameleon element of trying to entice people with new costumes. I like to think I’m complicated and interesting enough as a human being.”

And no, the never short on self-esteem (and David Bowie hating) Morrissey will not “do a the-phrase-that-shall-not-be-mentioned” and release the album on his own because it does not “suit” him:

“If they (Radiohead) think that can work that that’s a wonderful world. And yes, you can look at record companies and you can easily assess that they’ve been ripping people off for years and years and years. The whole process is a gigantic rip off. But then there are people like me who need to be institutionalised… and I don’t mean in an asylum!”

The RIAA has left alone Harvard in its file-sharing campaign, but why?

In its war against file sharing, the RIAA continues to fire off prelitigation settlement letters to a wide range of college campuses throughout the country, but one storied Ivy League institution has inexplicably been left alone. Yes, it seems the recording industry is reluctant to go after students at a little school in Cambridge, Massachusetts known as Harvard, and Ars Technica theorizes that the RIAA may fear the possibility that it might actually have to fight for once. And let’s face it. It would be a legal battle against really, really, really smart people.

Ars Technica notes that the RIAA may be trembling at the thought of targeting Harvard students because of “hostility towards the RIAA’s campaign on the part of Harvard Law School professors Charles Nesson and John Palfrey, who run the law school’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Responding to the RIAA’s claim that its litigation strategy has ‘invigorated a meaningful conversation on college campuses about music theft, its consequences and the numerous ways to enjoy legal music,’ the profs called on Harvard to not betray the ‘trust and privacy’ of its students.

You gotta love the idea that the RIAA could be running scared. Especially after it’s been engaging in a classic bully tactic by sending these letters to college students who essentially are clueless to the nature of litigation, thus scaring them into settling at a lower cost before actual lawsuits are filed.

Ars Technica goes on to say, “Should the RIAA decide to send prelitigation settlement letters to Harvard, chances are good that 1) the letters will not be passed on, and 2) some of the best and brightest at Harvard Law School will get involved in a big way.”

Bring it on.

Joe Strummer tribute night announced

Stars gather for five-year anniversary of the Clash man’s death
56 minutes ago

A tribute night to The Clash’s frontman Joe Strummer on the fifth anniversary of his death has been announced.

Taking place at London’s Brixton JAMM on December 22, ‘London Calling – Remembering Joe Strummer’ will feature musicians including Jamie T, Primal Scream bassist Mani, former Oasis member Bonehead and The Smiths’ Andy Rourke.

Organiser Geoff Martin said: “Myself and the guys who run the JAMM venue down in Brixton had been talking about doing an event to mark the fifth anniversary of Joe’s death. It’s really come together over the last few days; there’s just huge support for the initiative from right the way across the industry – a lot of artists want to get involved.”

Speaking to BBC 6Music, Martin explained that some special guests may turn up on the night: “The problem we’ve got is that it’s right on top of Christmas – there’s gonna be quite a few people who will be out of town, quite a few people who’ve made arrangements. But all I can say to people is ‘Watch this space’.”

Proceeds from the gig will go towards causes including the Strummerville Foundation and Rock Against Racism.

The Hard Sell UK details

DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, about to begin touring as The Hard Sell, have announced a one-off gig at The Roundhouse in the UK. For €20 you can see an all 45 set, played via eight turntables and two loop pedals. Previous DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist 7″ orgies (Brainfreeze, Product Placement) have been nothing short of brilliant; maybe after this one we can forgive Shadow for The Outsider.

iPod commercials are the new music television

Before it became the destination for The Hills marathons, MTV was the main tastemaker and hype machine for new music. As purely video programming has proved unprofitable, commercials have become the new music videos. Instead of tuning in to hear the new sounds, consumers hear the new sounds on commercials. The San Francisco Chronicle has traced the impact of these music heavy ads, focusing on the impact that iPod commercials have had on breaking bands of late.

In addition to the iPod ads, countless other artists have found that licensing their music has had a positive impact on their album sales. Moby probably started the ball rolling when he made every track on Play available for commercial sales. In a few short years, the industry has arrived at point where bands like Wilco have sold every track to a single sponsor. That Apple would follow this trend is elementary. It has a vested interest in creating buzz around new bands, rather than the standbys of previous ad campaigns. Whereas it’s cool to think that Dylan has an iPod, there’s no reason to rush out and purchase his song from the ad; most people already have it on CD. Totally different, though, is hearing Feist or CSS on a commercial and then plunking down the ninety-nine cents without a second thought. It’s almost hard to believe Apple took this long to come up with the strategy.
(via SF Chronicle)

The White Stripes “Conquest” (Music Video)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77EMzwScHy0&rel=1&border=0]

Amy Winehouse- Frank (Album Review)

Imagine fusing Minnie Riperton with the Beastie Boys, or Ray Charles with Salt N Pepper. Imagine a voice as distinctive as Dinah Washington or Billie Holiday. Imagine personal lyrics which paint images of a young woman’s life in London. Got that? That’s pretty much 19-year-old Amy Winehouse’s debut LP: classic jazz crooning dirtied with her other influences – Ben Folds Five, Stevie Wonder and Miss Dynamite. Frank is an honest, refreshingly personal record which, though very occasionally strays into easy jazz, has Gucci bags of personality. And she ain’t half got a pair of lungs.

The Zombies to revisit Odessey & Oracle

The Zombies will play their album, Odessey & Oracle, in its entirety at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Theatre in honor of its 40th anniversary. This psychedelic classic was recorded at Abbey Road studios in the wake of the Sgt Pepper sessions with the Beatles’ chief engineer, Geoff Emerick during the Summer of Love. When released in April of 1968, it shot all the way to 95 on the British charts but Rolling Stone ranked Odessey at 80 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The famously misspelled album was re-released several times and was most recently re-mastered in 2004

The original line up—Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Chris White and Hugh Grundy –will regroup to play the three dates in March. The Zombies’ founding guitarist, Paul Atkinson, passed away in 2004 and Keith Airey will play in his stead.

My Bloody Valentine going self-release route for new album

Apparently the term “do a Radiohead” has now entered the English language, meaning a band releasing a new album by itself. That’s how billboard describes plans for My Bloody Valentine to handle the release of its long-anticipated new album on its own. The industry insider publication quotes band manager Vinita Joshi as saying, “The plan is that they will release the album themselves via the Internet, but there will also probably be a vinyl release.” Cheapskates beware, though. Joshi says that MBV probably won’t follow in Radiohead’s footsteps with a pay-as-you-please plan.

Jesus and Mary Chain working on new album

After calling it quits nearly a decade ago, the Jesus and Mary Chain are looking at late spring/early summer to release their comeback album, according to Billboard. And Rhino Records will issue a four-disc boxed set with demos, alt-takes and rare acoustic versions some time in March.

“When we ended in ‘98, we hated each other,” William Reid told Billboard. “A lot of that was down to drink and drugs. Jim’s completely sober now, and I don’t drink during the shows. But there is a kind of wariness. We’re both aware that we could snap at each other … but we’re trying to hold it together. We love this band, and we love each other.” Like that other mega influential 80s act (Pixies), it took the Coachella festival to bring the Reid brothers back together. “Once the first couple of songs were under our belt, we knew where we were going,” Reid told Billboard.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all have a nice Turkey day.. Posts will return on Monday.

Legal Wrangling Puts NIN Remix Site On Hold

A Trent Reznor-sanctioned home for fan remixes of his music is on hold due to a pending lawsuit between Universal Music Group and Google and News Corp.

UMG is the owner of the master files Reznor has made available on NIN.com for fans to manipulate as they which. In its suit against YouTube.com owner Google and MySpace.com owner News Corp., the company alleges those sites do not have “safe harbor” under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act because their users have uploaded Universal-owned content without permission.

As such, sanctioning NIN remixes that may include content not owned by Universal would open the company up “to the accusation that they are sponsoring the same technical violation of copyright they are suing these companies for,” Reznor says on NIN.com.

So, Universal told Reznor they will no longer host the remix site and is “insisting” that Nine Inch Nails host it.

“In exchange for this they will continue to let me upload my Universal masters and make them available to fans, BUT shift the liability of hosting them to me,” he says. “Part of the arrangement is having user licenses that the fans sign (not unlike those on MySpace or YouTube) saying they will not use unauthorized materials. If they WERE to do such a thing, everybody sues everybody and the world abruptly ends.”

“We are challenged at the last second to find a way of bringing this idea to life without getting splashed by the urine as these media companies piss all over each other’s feet,” he concludes. “We have a cool and innovative site ready to launch but we’re currently scratching our heads as to how to proceed.”

The Nine Inch Nails remix album, “Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D,” is out today (Nov. 20). It includes reworkings by members of New Order, Laydtron and the Faint, as well as some tracks created by fans.

Queens of the Stone Age To Make Cartoon Movie?

Queens of the Stone Age are set to make an animated film about the adventures of their cartoon character Bulby.

The character, shaped like a light bulb, has featured on the artwork to their latest album ‘Era Vulgaris’ and also their promo videos, but now the rockers want to expand this.

According to reports, the band have met up with a major Hollywood studio to push the project forward and have drafted in designer Jason Noto and musician/ director Liam Lynch to work on the movie.

A ‘source’ told the Daily Star: “The boys have been writing ideas for a film after meeting with a major Hollywood studio. It’s a really funny project. It’s going to be the new SpongeBob SquarePants or Ren And Stimpy.

Spiritualized Dusts Off Oldies At NYC Gig

Stepping away from the grandiose live presentation that has become Spiritualized’s hallmark, frontman Jason Pierce offered up acoustic versions of his catalog Friday (Nov. 16) at New York’s Apollo Theatre.

The artist was backed by a string quartet and gospel choir for the show, which was highlighted early on by the Spacemen 3′s “Walking With Jesus” and a cover of Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You.”

Early Spiritualized single “Feel So Sad” was slow and melodic, with a keyboardist anchoring the tune while Pierce slowly teased the lyrics. Later, the choir morphed the end of “Ladies and Gentlemen We’re Floating in Space” into a rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

A new Spiritualized album is said to be complete and is due sometime next year.

Here is Spiritualized’s set list:

“Setting on Fire”
“Lord Let It Rain on Me”
“True Love Will Find You”
“Cool Waves”
“Amen”
“Going Down Slow”
“Soul On Fire”
“Walking With Jesus”
“Feel So Sad”
“Stop Your Crying”
“All of My Tears”
“Baby I’m Just a Fool”
“Anything More/Ladies and Gentlemen We’re Floating in Space”
“Broken Heart”
“I Think I’m in Love”
“Lord Can You Hear Me?”
“Oh, Happy Day”

Kiss Revving Up For Indy Race Concerts

After playing only a handful of shows in 2007, Kiss will be back in action next year for a series of “Kiss festivals around the Indy car racing series,” bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons said

“We’ll do 15 dates or so,” he adds. “We’ll also go to Australia and New Zealand and maybe do four to six shows, but nothing comprehensive until we feel like it.”

The first date to be announced is March 16 in Melbourne, in conjunction with the Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix. Tickets go on sale Nov. 30.

Meanwhile, it’s been nine years since Kiss’ last studio album, but Simmons says fans shouldn’t hold their breath for another one. “There is nothing in me that wants to go in there and do new music,” he says. “How are you going to deliver it? How are you going to get paid for it if people can just get it for free?

However, Simmons is preparing a boxed set of his solo music, “Monster,” which he says will feature “150 unreleased songs.” And, “Kiss will have another boxed set of unreleased music in the next year.”

The Shins have “Strange Powers”

Included in the monstrously limited edition 7″ single for the track “Sea Legs” off the Shins’ third album Wincing the Night Away will be a cover of the Magnetic Fields’ ode to supernatural love “Strange Powers.” All five-hundred of the vinyls will come signed by the Shins on December 3, but if you’re not lucky enough to snag a copy for yourself, never fear- the internet is here. The single will also be made available for download.

John Waters bringing Lavender Diamond along for crazy Christmas tour

In a serious case of debauchery dallying with innocence, legendary envelope-pushing movie director John Waters will take neo-hippie band Lavender Diamond out on tour with him. The trek expands from a one-off “John Waters Christmas” program the pride of Baltimore put on last year in Los Angeles with musical accompaniment from Jonathan Richman. For now, the holiday hilarity is only scheduled to hit three U.S. cities and two Canadian towns. Needless to say, if you’re anywhere near any of those spots, you should definitely get to these shows. With two such paradoxical forces colliding, the universe might just fold in on itself and come to an end.

12/12 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
12/13 Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom
12/14 Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes Theater
12/16 Montreal, QC – Le National
12/17 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace

Tapes N’ Tapes ‘rock’ album due next spring

Tapes N’ Tapes have finished up their sophomore album and hope to release it this spring, according to Billboard. The band recorded in upstate New York with David Fridmann who’s worked with Flaming Lips, Weezer and Mercury Rev among others, but don’t expect any over-the-top, grandiose arrangements. Just expect some “rock.”

“It was nice to be able to work with someone who has a real studio,” Josh Grier said to Billboard. “Having a budget was awesome. It allowed us to have a real studio and get the sounds we wanted. We wanted to make a rock record, but there weren’t any over-indulgences. There’s no orchestral arrangements or anything.”

They recorded 15 tracks and are still in the decision-making process of which ones will make the album, according to Billboard. They’ve got one show lined up on Nov. 30 at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis.

Radiohead – The Headmaster Ritual (Smith’s Cover)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjnGESlRNXk&rel=1]
From the November 9th webcast.

My Bloody Valentine Schedule Live Dates!!

Those of us trying to remain cynical to prevent psychic pain in the previously probable event of a let down, got another piece of evidence that the My Bloody Valentine reunion is actually, by God, happening. The legendary band appears to have scheduled some shows, like, in real life. Three gigs, presented by ATP Concerts are advertised for the UK next summer.

They are:

Friday, 20th June – London – The Roundhouse
Saturday, 28th June – Manchester – Apollo
Wednesday, 2nd July – Glasgow – Barrowland

According to the online ticket vendor See, they go on sale Friday at 9 A.M., so I guess there’s really no turning back now. While no U.S. dates have been mentioned, the cozy backyard warm-up in the summer might be a triumphant homecoming after Coachella in April? More news as it comes…

Sigur Ros to collaborate with Flood on fifth studio LP

Just on the heels of their live DVD, Heima, and a rarities compilation, Hvarf/Heim, Sigur Ros have announced plans to return to the studio next week and begin working on their fifth studio LP with groundbreaking producer Mark “Flood” Ellis (The Smashing Pumpkins, PJ Harvey, Nine Inch Nails). The band’s drummer, Orri Pall Dyrason, recently told Icelandic newspaper Frettablaoio, “We’re gonna try working with him for two weeks and see where it takes us.” He added that the band have already begun the songwriting process and anticipate a release date of late 2008. It might be a little unsettling to some diehard Sigur Ros fans to learn that the band will not be recording this one in their own studio-upon-swimming-pool, Sundlaugin. Instead, Dyrason has said that they will record the follow up to 2005’s Takk in a rented house in downtown Reykjavik. New frontiers all around! But, hey, isn’t that what Sigur Ros do best?

The Hives- The Black and White Album (Album Review)

Of all the garage rock revival bands storming our musical beaches during this new millennium, the Hives are by far the sassiest. Part of it is the matching suits. Part of it is the infectious and repetitious riffing over kooky dance beats. Most of it, however, is their scissor-kicking front man, “Howlin’” Pelle Almqvist. Almqvist is quite possibly the sassiest human being alive. Sass oozes out of his every pore. It’s genetically infused in his DNA. Almqvist probably can’t even order a sandwich in a restaurant without waving his fork around like a lunatic, pointing at every waitress he sees, and scrunching his face up like he’s negatively reacting to antihistamine.

Naturally, this extraordinary, almost obscene amount of sass has worked in the Hives’ favor. It’s given the Swedish rockers staying power and kept them visible on the international rock scene. Even before I received this album, I was acutely aware they were still doing stuff together as a band. I cannot say the same for their hipster contemporaries the Strokes or the Vines. I had to Wikipedia both those bands to verify they still existed in this dimension and had not been rocketed into one of our solar system’s many black holes by the super-intelligent race of mole people who dwell beneath the surface of this doomed planet. It also turns out the White Stripes are not animated characters licensed to MTV by the Disney Corporation; they are, in fact, two real actual musicians from Detroit. Oh, the things you learn on the Internet.

Primarily produced by the Neptunes and Jacknife Lee, The Black and White Album comes off sounding slicker than a Slip n’ Slide covered with ranch dressing. I want to say this goes against the Hives’ rough-and-tumble punk roots, but if memory serves, these guys were only raw for one album (1997’s Barely Legal). Since then, it’s been all about sounding like a Verizon commercial/Hillary Duff movie trailer. You need that glossy sheen to produce such an efficient form of lip-sneering, booty-shaking rock music (you don’t hear them playing the Blues Explosion at the Limited, do you?). You also need catchy melodies, which the Hives have in spades here. I defy even Al Gore to hear calculated rave-ups like “Try It Again” and “You Got It All… Wrong” and not at least tap his leaden, environmentally concerned foot. The polar ice caps are melting because of these hot jams, Al. That’s a truth so inconvenient, even you can’t handle it.

There are a few interesting left turns on Black and White. “A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors” is an atmospheric organ-driven piece that sounds almost too gritty and real to have come from the likes of these impeccably tailored rock Vikings. Zippy white boy funk is stirred up in “T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.”, although it should be noted no clue is given as to what this awkward acronym could possibly stand for. The robotic “Giddy Up!” seems to be a Hives tribute to Devo. These deviations prove Fagersta’s number one export is capable of operating outside the realm of cutesy, hand-clapping Cartoon Network rock. There wasn’t really a need for these examples, but I suppose it’s nice to know if we suddenly wake up tomorrow to find every copy of Freedom of Choice deleted from existence, the Hives might be able to fill the void.

Pardon me—Randy Fitzsimmons, the fictional svengali who supposedly writes all the Hives’ material, he might be able to fill the void. The world is still confused about all that. I’m sure it’s just some kind of Swedish joke we’re just not getting. We are talking about a unitary state with no official language, but five legally recognized minority languages (including Yiddish) and an unclear economic model. They also observe three completely different national holidays on one singular day in any given calendar year (April 30: Flag Day, Walpurgis Eve, and the King’s Birthday).

At least the music from Sweden is still making sense. With its spunky energy and grand polish, The Black and White Album should keep our favorite Scandinavian sass masters aloft on the modern rock wave for at least another year. If not, they can always go home and concoct more bizarre ways to joke and live in their generally neutral, liberal constitutional monarchy. Might I suggest a fourth observance for the last day of April? Randy Fitzsimmons Day? You may celebrate by wearing an expensive suit and waving a fork at a waitress.

The Hives – Tick Tick Boom (Music Video)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRNwueXuAPY&rel=1&border=0]

Ladytron’s next album aiming for May release

Ladytron will release its fourth album next May on Nettwerk records, Billboard reports. The band have been in limbo since releasing 2005’s Witching Hour on Rykodisc. “We wanted to work with people who really understood where we were. The best thing about the Nettwerk deal is that the band and the management will have the ability to be really hands-on with the marketing and planning. This time around, nothing will be left to chance,” Daniel Hunt told Billboard.

Ladytron began on Emperor Norton that was scooped up by Rykodisc and was soon scrapped the label. As a result, Hunt elaborates that Ryko wasn’t really there for the band as they would have liked. “The only reason our last record did so well was because we worked really hard and toured on it for two years. The label really did nothing.”

‘08 U.S. dates coming together for Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl and his fellow Fighters of Foo have begun to line up dates for a 2008 U.S. tour. The alt-rock mainstays will be supporting their recently released, wordily titled Echoes Silence Patience & Grace. The known dates for the tour are sparse for now, so keep it here for updates as the band inevitably adds more shows.

1/23 Dallas, TX – American Airlines Arena
1/25 Memphis, TN – FedEx Forum
1/26 Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
2/18 Worcester, MA – DCU Center
2/21 Philadelphia, PA – Wachovia Spectrum
2/24 Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena

New Lemonheads due in 2008

Evan Dando has been called a lot of things in his musical career – “Sexiest Man Alive” unincidentally among them – but “prolific” is going to take some getting used to. After reforming the Lemonheads last year (in name only – though when wasn’t it?) and releasing his first record since 2003’s aptly titled Baby I’m Bored, Dando has announced that another Lemonheads album is on the way in April 2008. Reports Billboard:

“Yeah, there is new music, and I’ll be recording in January,” Dando says. “But I don’t want to talk about the record too much.”

And if that wasn’t enough Dando for your troubles, there is a reissue of Lemonheads high-water mark It’s a Shame about Ray coming down the pipeline:

Also in the mix is a deluxe edition of the band’s 1992 album “It’s a Shame About Ray,” which will include demos, B-sides and a DVD from the era. The project is due in March via Rhino.

Now if we could only get those pesky Smashing Pumpkins to crank out some tunes… oh, wait.

Liam Gallagher must die before next Oasis album is given away for free

Oasis are no Radiohead. And Liam Gallagher wanted to make that clear recently when speaking to Reuters about Oasis’ current work in the studio for their next album. Yes, they are no longer with a major label like said band. But that whole pay-whatever-you-feel-for-a-download-shite is for the birds.

“Gallagher, peppering his speech with expletives, told Reuters it would be over his ‘dead body’ before he went into a studio and worked hard to release his work for nothing,” Reuters reported.

Don’t worry, it’s gonna be worth it. Liam promises “without a doubt” it will stack up to the seventh U.K. albums of the Beatles (Revolver) and the Rolling Stones (Beggars Banquet). I fookin love that guy’s arrogance almost as much as I love hearing him and his brother spouting off in the commentary section of the recently released concert tour DVD, “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down.” Go here to read some of the highlights. They hope to release their as yet untitled album in August.

Gorillaz- Rockit (Music Video)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilkDzKnpkP0&rel=1]

The Verve – Live in London (Gig Review):

British rock music in the mid to late 1990’s was pretty good in my humble opinion, and 1997 was a pinnacle, not only because of the release of Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ and Oasis’ ‘Be Here Now’ (ahem) but also because The Verve had reformed (initially splitting in 1995 after the release of the under-rated ‘A Northern Soul’) and released their third album ‘Urban Hymns’ and the genius single ‘Bittersweet Symphony’. But things were not going smoothly for The Verve. Tensions and power struggles between singer Richard Ashcroft and lead guitarist Nick McCabe had caused the original split and were now reawakening. After a truly awesome homecoming gig for 40,000 delirious fans in May 1998 at Haigh Hall in Wigan (it’s easily in my Top 3 gig list), McCabe left and the accompanying tour limped on, with B J Cole filling in on slide guitar duties. I remember seeing The Verve when they headlined V98 in August and it was like seeing a different band. The performance, to put it generously, was lacklustre and muddled, and they sadly split up a few months later.

Ashcroft embarked on a somewhat successful solo career accompanied by drummer Pete Salisbury, guitarist Simon Tong went on to play with Damon Albarn’s The Good, the Bad & the Queen, bassist Simon Jones released an album with new band The Shining that sank quickly, and Nick McCabe simply disappeared from public view. However, recently in the UK, a lot of bands have reunited: The Police (ho hum), The Spice Girls (shit), Led Zeppelin (sweet) and The Verve (shock horror). The strange thing is that, even as recent as February this year, Ashcroft had reportedly stated that The Verve getting back together was highly unlikely. Then, when the news of the reunion broke out, he said that this highly publicised return wasn’t for the money (do The Spice Girls think we’ll believe it when they say that?), but for the music: “People think we’re on the gravy train. Give a fuck”.

NME.com recently scored a world exclusive mp3 download of the fruits from the band’s first forays back into the studio – a 14 minute jam that harkens back to their psychedelic debut album ‘A Storm In Heaven’, swathed in misty guitar pedal noodlings and Ashcroft’s high-pitched wailing. It’s been unanimously seen as an amazing return to form, especially since they hadn’t set foot in the same studio together for nearly decade. Their new album is greatly anticipated, as is tonight’s gig; their final date of the tour, before they retreat to the larger arenas later in the year. The London Roundhouse is an intimate venue (capacity is limited to 3,000 lucky people) and the audience is clearly feeding off the communal buzzing atmosphere. Then it’s actually hits you: there’s Nick McCabe! Playing guitar next Richard Ashcroft! It’s a rewarding sight. The fact that just under 10 years has passed since The Verve last played is a possible tongue-in-cheek reference when they start to play show-starter ‘A New Decade’: “A New Decade / The radio plays the sounds we made / And everything seems to feel just right”.

One song down and Ashcroft’s chants of ‘This Is Music’ break into the song of the same name, all rumbling bass and McCabe’s trademark feedback momentarily hovering before that crashing riff and those aggressive lyrics boom out: “I stand accused just like you / Of being born without a silver spoon”. Early single ‘Gravity Grave’ is giving the 6 minute treatment (no radio edit versions tonight!) and then a vengeful ‘Weeping Willow’, with its repeated coda mantra of “Weeping Willow / The Pills under my pillow” ending the rocky first section of the concert. The show then settles into a disconcertingly subdued section, with a liltingly melancholy ‘Life’s An Ocean’ and ‘Sonnet’, and then the real treats roll out. First single ‘All In The Mind’ is played in its 8 minute splendour, and then new song ‘Sit and Wonder’, which is met with slight indifference, merely because it’s not familiar territory. It’s nice to hear that they’re actually working on new material though, a relief even.

Then it’s a few more early tracks from their discography, starting off with ‘Stormy Clouds’ (complete with extended reprise), followed by a floaty rendition of ‘Already There’ and ‘Let The Damage Begin’, a B-side from the ‘This Is Music’ single. Genuine fans are bellowing at this point, because the set list thus far has been an aural wetdream. Casual fans who are only familiar with ‘Urban Hymns’ and got lucky enough to grab a ticket for tonight’s show look either bemused or bewildered by all these loooooong space-rock jams, and the passion of the “real” fans. There’s a palpable excitement that the fans are generating that seems to feed the band. Ashcroft looks ecstatic, Simon Jones is notably energetic, jumping around and mouthing the words and rocking out and, miracle of miracles, even McCabe is cracking a smile.

A beautifully stripped down ‘On Your Own’ (complete with searing “Lies / I’ve gotta get rid of this hole inside” outro vocal. And on another point, Ashcroft’s voice has improved drastically with age) is followed by a poundingly relentless ‘The Rolling People’, the intensity of which proves that the band can still rock the casbah 10 years down the line. As the slow bridge gradually climbs, Ashcroft’s behemoth intonation seems to threaten the colossal music (“I hope you know which way I’m gonna fly / I said thank you for my life / I said good night, goodbye”), and you realise just how much The Verve have been sorely missed from the live arena. The band members turn around to each other and have a celebratory hug and then the strings of ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ filter through the speakers and people go apeshit. Well, more apeshit. It’s a glorious 10 minute rendition, with the world-weary maxim “I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down” over and over again repeated by the crowd. It’s a great end to a great gig.

A review of the Glasgow gig earlier in the week said that they had played an alternate set list, with a few more tracks from ‘Urban Hymns’ (namely ‘Space And Time’ and ‘Velvet Morning’), but ditching the all-important single ‘History’. Being that it’s one of the finest songs that The Verve has ever committed to record, we’re thankful that it’s played tonight in the encore. Not only is it included in all its beguiling honesty, but it’s partnered with ‘A Northern Soul’, an uplifting ‘Lucky Man’ and a spiteful ‘Come On’. It’s one of the greatest encores I’ve ever seen, only possibly matched by Haigh Hall 9 whole years ago. Days later, McCabe will declare on his myspace page (no longer the public hermit of the band!) that the whole tour was “the most enjoyable ever” and the London gig was “officially my favourite gig of all time” because of the crowd: “Every minute pure joy. No audience = no band”. High praise indeed, but we can’t take all of it: you were great too.
(By J. M. Ross)

Ashcroft sees a heavy, groove-oriented Verve album on horizon

Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft recently told XFM that the reunited band are leaning toward the groovier side of their music as they continue to record new material for an album they hope to finish in the new year, according to Gigwise. “I think we wanna revisit some of our heavier groove stuff and take that somewhere else you know.”

Ashcroft also says they hope to headline Glastonbury next year, and tops it off with some of Cool Britannia-era pomposity: “I think it would be a travesty if we didn’t…Because I think what’s missing from a lot of the headliners is we’re one of the few bands that can jam without sounding like Lynyrd Skynyrd on a bad night, so we can actually take people on a proper journey, rock n roll wise.”

Unfortunatley, XFM didn’t grill him Tim Russert-style about comments he made to the radio station just a scant four years ago when he vowed that Verve would never reunite: “No, I can’t ever see a Verve reunion…I’ve never done things like anyone else does them, and that’s what everybody does–they get a reunion together–and I’ve got no desire to do that purely because it would just be a financial venture…It wouldn’t be because I felt there was unfinished business musically. That was our time, that was our moment, and it’s gone.” So much for not being like everyone else. Is there anything in this statement that they are not doing right now?

Peter Bjorn and John add North American tour dates

On the off-chance that you didn’t catch Swedish indie-pop trio Peter John and Bjorn at some point during this year (they’ve taken only the month of October off), you’re in luck. The group that gave birth to breakthrough hit, “Young Folks,” quite possibly the catchiest tune since the Facts of Life theme song, has strummed up yet another set of headlining dates in support of their third studio release, Writer’s Block.

Montreal six-piece the Besnard Lakes (who have previously toured with the likes of Wolf Parade, Islands and Sunset Rubdown) will be joining the band for their North American dates.

And in case you just can’t wait for things to get rolling on November 23, the trio’s Peter Moren will be making a solo appearance at Joe’s Pup in New York City on November 19.

Below are the new dates:

11/23 Houston, Texas: Warehouse Live
11/24 Dallas, Texas: Palladium Loft
11/25 Tulsa, Oklahoma: Cain’s Ballroom
11/26 Kansas City, Missouri: Madrid Theatre
11/27 Indianapolis, Indiana: The Vogue
11/29 Cleveland, Ohio: Beachland Ballroom
11/30 Louisville, Kentucky: Headliners Music Hall
12/01 Detroit, Michigan: Majestic Theatre
12/02 Cincinnati, Ohio: Bogart’s
12/03 Milvale, Pennsylvania: Mr. Smalls Theatre
01/21 Montreal, Quebec:Club Soda
01/22 Toronto, Ontario: Phoenix
01/24 Costa Mesa, CA: Samueli Theatre
01/26 Mexico City, Mexico: Salon 21

Kingblind.com Presents: Rock And Roll High School – Saturday, November 10th

Rock And Roll High School – Saturday November 10th (9pm till 2am) @ SOLO
with Dj Kingblind & Dj Teenage Rampage spinning the best in Rock N’ Roll, Punk, Glam, Garage, Pop & New Wave!!

This edition of Rock and Roll High School will have the rock movies- The Who- The Kids are alright & Joe Strummer- The Future is unwritten!

Plus fresh from London England. A huge slab of new Freak Beat 45′s that are totally amazing. You have gotta hear this stuff!!

Great Music, Rock Movies and Free Album Giveaways all night long!!

REMEMBER!!
1st Saturday of Every Month @ Solo
100% FREE!!!

Solo
200 Roy St.
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 213-0080

http://www.kingblind.com/events

Arctic Monkeys- Teddy Picker (Music Video)
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Drag City pulls catalog out of Emusic: a sign of things to come?

Drag City, the Chicago based label that is home to Smog, US Maple and Royal Trux, has decided to pull its catalog from digital subscription service eMusic citing the fact that it had to sell three times the amount of songs to make the slim profit iTunes already provided. According to indie labels owners at large this is something that is becoming a trend among according to an article in the Seattle Times.

At one time it seemed that the Internet would be the great equalizer between indie and major labels. It was an ideal situation for the underdog indie label: An internet savvy population would pay for songs either directly from labels or through websites that had favorable distribution deals, thus eliminating the need to compete with the major retail chains who primarily dealt with bigger, more heavily financed labels.

It would’ve worked too; if it wasn’t for those pesky retail chains. It was only a matter of time that the major retail players would enter into the picture and begin gobbling the profit that at one time was there for the taking. On-line retailers such as Amazon.com are lowering prices on album downloads to the point where it is becoming almost impossible for smaller labels to profit. Those once favorable deals? They are going the way of the dodo and the worst part is that our incessant downloading may be partly to blame.

Jazz label joins the DRM-free revolution

Record label Universal Music Classics & Jazz is making its entire catalogue available online without copying protections as part of an experiment to gauge fans’ demand for MP3 tracks

The trial means Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Handel’s Water Music, Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World and recent recordings such as The Fron Choir’s Voices of the Valley will be available free of the copy protection known as DRM (digital rights management).

UCJ, home to the music industry’s biggest collection of classical and jazz recordings, said the trial on www.classicsandjazz.co.uk will explore the appetite for DRM-free “open” MP3s – which can be played on a full range of devices including MP3 players, mobile phones and Apple’s iPod.

It said the open MP3s will cost the same as existing files, and anyone who has already bought an album from the site will be offered a free upgrade.

“By making our entire catalogue available in an open MP3 format we will have the opportunity to assess the level of demand, the effect on the wider music download market and of course whether we will have a problem with piracy,” says Dickon Stainer, managing director of Universal Music Classics & Jazz.

UCJ launched its online music store in January in response to what UCJ describes as “a dramatic upturn in downloading of jazz and classical repertoire”.

The experiments with DRM-free tracks come as the music industry has been battling falling sales for years. Digital downloads have been growing fast but have not made up for the fall in CD sales.

The music industry had generally insisted on copy protection due to a fear of piracy. But in April, the consensus was broken by EMI, which started offering DRM-free tracks in better audio quality at a higher price.

Universal, the world’s biggest music company and UCJ’s parent, then said in August that it would make thousands of tracks available as DRM-free digital downloads in a six-month experiment to test demand.

UCJ said this three-month trial marks the first time that DRM-free versions of Universal tracks are available in the UK.

Secret Machines Get Busy On Next Album

Despite the loss of founding member Benjamin Curtis, Secret Machines are pressing on with their third Warner Bros. album. The group, which features core members Brandon Curtis and Josh Garza, is recording the follow-up to 2006′s “Ten Silver Drops” in New York through Thanksgiving with producer Brandon Mason.

Guitarist Phil Karnats is assisting in the studio, and was onstage with the Machines during a recent residency at New York’s tiny Annex, where epic new songs like “The Fire Is Waiting” and “Atomic Hell” were tested out.

“‘The Fire’ is one of those rare songs that just kind of came out fully formed and really hasn’t changed that much,” Brandon Curtis said “Performing it gave us more confidence. Another song is called ‘Have I Run Out,’ which is a longer, more open-ended song. Performing that live, we had this idea of doing this long section of instrumental music, but it being a little more formless — not a particular riff or key that it is tied too. That sounds good on paper. But doing that in front of people, which we did at every show, we realized it necessitated composition.”

“I like the idea of jam bands — being that creative person who can spontaneously write great melodic lines,” he continues. “But it seems like Secret Machines is the kind of band that benefits from calculation and having an idea of where we’re going.”

Curtis admits it has been odd to continue Secret Machines without his brother, but says the personnel change has helped push the music in new directions.

“I miss my brother being in the studio and having the emotional connection,” he says. “But at the same time, this forced us to look at what we were good at. What can we offer? How is it Josh and I look at music? There’s quite a bit of emphasis on things that have a bit of a different color than before.”

There’s no release date penciled in as of yet for the new album, and Curtis says Secret Machines won’t play live again until after the New Year.

Sub Pop makes entire catalogue available on-line

We the good people of the Internet generation have made it obvious that we do not want to purchase actual physical cds. We want to download. We want to download until our eyes bleed and our fingers are numb from typing in searches. We refuse to suffer the indecency of being productive at work but we will scour the Internet for hours searching for obscure mp3s.

What is a label to do in the face of such maddening physical lethargy and technological cunning? Make its entire catalog available on-line. Indie veteran Sub Pop has done just that by making its 200 album catalog available in mp3 format for the price of $9.90 per album. All one needs to do to access them is go to Subpop.com, have a credit card handy and dive right in.

Granted, you would probably be able to find the albums for free elsewhere, but think of it this way: with the time saved finding Tad’s first release you can get an extra 3 hours of Guitar Hero III in.

My Bloody Valentine definitely back

The blog-o-sphere is atwitter with news possibly even more surprising than that out-of-nowhere “new Radiohead in 10 days” development from earlier this year. After months of speculation, Kevin Shields, the reclusive leader of legendary shoegaze act My Bloody Valentine, is confirming that the band is back together. He reportedly let this drop during an interview with ex-Nation of Ulysses/current Weird War musician Ian Svenonius for a program Svenonius hosts for VBS.tv, “Soft Focus.” The interview is scheduled to go up on the site Monday. Follow on after the jump for the reunited band’s plans…

Most surprising is that a new My Bloody Valentine album could be out before the end of the year. Shields claims the new record is “3/4’s done already” and “sounds like what we sounded like – different but not radically different. People will go, ‘Yeah, it sounds like My Bloody Valentine.’” No word yet on how or through what label (if any) the album will be released. There are also rumors that the folks behind Coachella are in talks with My Bloody Valentine to have the band play 2008’s incarnation of the festival.

Sigur Ros- Hvarf-Heim (Album Review)

While Hvarf-Heim’s most obvious title is that of a compilation, that’s only a simple description for the album. Indeed, whether or not Sigur Ros’ compilation of unreleased tracks and acoustic re-releases evokes some warranted snow-covered landscape, it isn’t for lack of atmosphere and tone, Hvarf-Heim full to the brim in carefully constructed and placed settings. Released as a dual album, Hvarf-Heim works as a balance, letting us wander in the ethereal space of Hvarf (“disappear” or “haven”) and come home to the comforting sounds of old, reworked fables with Heim (“home”).

By giving us this balance (like some metaphoric representation of the album title ( ), even in the album’s dual cover art of a frigid, blue field and a warm, orange living room), Sigur Ros can work in a more bombastic manner, Jón ór Birgisson’s Icelandic diction or nonsensical gibberish just part of the story, not the storyteller. With that in mind, Hvarf begins just as uncertain as its title proclaims, the slow and calculated “Salka” channeling the post-rock styling of Explosions in the Sky, building and releasing under Birgisson’s shrill, pain staked cry and distilled, archaic chords. It’s sad and desperate; an elongated, daunting seven-minute opener that hangs in the air like frosted breath. “Salka” (named after bassist Georg Holm’s stepdaughter) embodies the blanketed aloofness of direction that builds to an excited head in “Hljomalind,” a rolling stone of space-y guitars that build into an art house, stadium rock final third and more of what could be Birgisson’s Icelandic gibberish.

Even under the skewed lyricism of Birgisson, Hvarf-Heim is painted with miniscule strokes, the twinkling lullaby of “”Í Gær” (“Yesterday”) breaking into the sinister warps that clouds the commanding drums and bass line. In two different versions, “Von” becomes at once adamant in a slow crescendo under the hollow reverb of stadium guitars and cymbals. In the other, placed appropriately at the end of Heim, it grows from the carpet, a tale of minimalist that slowly drives its production wary drumming into a lazy sense of apathy. With “Hafsol”, Hvarf ends as a retreat towards an earth-toned wonder that relies less on actual instruments and calls more upon sounds of thunderstorms and garden noises, though “Ágætis Byrjun” comes out for the best as the acoustic guitar tinged ballad full of front porch ambiguity.

And through Heim, Sigur Ros’ original releases become homespun nostalgic trips, ( )’s “Untitled 3” a persistent staccato piano in “Samskeyti,” led in on diluted organs, the pianos intensity subtly thickening until merely filtering out under faded violins. “Vaka,” or “Untitled 1,” becomes a beautiful trajectory of childish piano notes that work better out from under the reclusive production ( ) placed it in, and Birgisson shines in some wistful perception of hope. It might lose most of its mysterious luster, but there’s enough brewing under the sedated surface to make Hvarf-Heim (and especially Hvarf) a satisfying listen.
(Review by- Lewis Parry)

Pete Doherty relapses

Less than a week after the Sun broke news that Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty had been filmed via camera phone taking heroin in his Wiltshire home, it is being reported that the musician is making arrangements to return to a drug rehabilitation center.

Doherty released a statement to the public expressing his apologies for having “let himself down [as well as] those who trusted and encouraged his efforts”, after what had seemed like the start of a landmark turning point in the rocker’s life and sobriety. Many had already begun heralding the end of Doherty’s notorious and lengthy drug troubles. He has expressed intent to “continue the hitherto excellent attempts he had made to break free of heroin,” describing his relapse as “a stupid, stupid action for which I only feel shame.”

There is no word yet on what, if any, affect this will have on Babyshambles’ planned arena tour, set to begin November 22

Radiohead’s In Rainbows produces mixed results

The results are in for Radiohead’s In Rainbows experiment, and they are decidedly mixed. While some websites are crying failure because most copies of the album were downloaded for free, a more balanced view finds that Radiohead cleared about three million from the downloads, and still holds the rights for traditional CD sales. The effects of In Rainbows are going to felt for a long time to come. Whether or not free downloading is the wave of the future in music distribution, Radiohead has proven that the internet is a viable avenue to release an album and divorced their music from the record company system. The only thing that remains to be seen is which artist will make this the only option for purchasing their albums. There are also many types of recording that would lend themselves to the pay optional download. Artist approved live albums spring to mind…

CBGB to become men’s clothing store

CBGB Just over a year after pioneer punk rock club, CBGB & OMFUG, permanently closed its doors after an arduous court battle and a slew of farewell performances by punk originals (ending with a heart-felt Halloween show by Patti Smith), it is now being reported that The Bowery Residents’ Committee has finally settled on a new tenant. Fashion designer, John Varvatos, has leased the Bowery landmark with intent to convert it into a menswear clothing boutique in March of 2008.

Varvatos seemed to hold a special sentiment for what many consider to be the birthplace of punk rock, as he recalled seeing seminal punk band, The Ramones, at CBGB in its heyday of the 1970s. He has said that he plans to keep the overall ambience of the club alive, including plans for a stage to be utilized for in-store performances. The designer has remarked of his vision, “This store is going to be totally unique, different from our other boutiques. We’re going to make it a great way to look back at this remarkable history but also forward to what’s happening in music today.”

However, many are still skeptical about the integrity of this changing of the guards, feeling it symbolizes the perpetuation of the gentrification overtaking Manhattan ’s Bowery district. Another popular area nightclub, Continental, shut down last year and was resurrected months later as a sports bar. Bill Popp, who performed at CBGB from 1981 until its doors closed expressed his growing trepidation saying, “Now it’s going to become a contrived type of store, with prices only for the yuppies who are taking over the neighborhood.”

These apprehensions could be seen as quite reasonable, as John Varvatos’s designs can currently be found in various high-end retailers, such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fith Avenue, Barneys and several of the company’s own international boutiques.

This news marks the end of various rumors regarding the fate of the veritable rock and roll mecca and comes on the heels of the club’s original founder Hilly Kristal, succumbing to lung cancer in August at the age of 75. Kristal had been in talks to relocate CBGB to Las Vegas just before his death.

TV Writers strike affects on indie rock

The writers strike that is crippling television shows and movies across the country has come home to affect indie bands. Band of Horses who are out promoting their new album, “Cease To Begin” didn’t get their chance to play Conan last night and it looks like Grizzly Bear, out behind a new EP will miss their chance to play the same show this evening. Even playing one song on a nationally televised talk show can be a rare and important opportunity for smaller bands with concurrently smaller promotional budgets. No word on if the performances will be rescheduled but given the nature of new releases, a later appearance may be too late to capitalize the first and second week buzz surrounding the albums. On the other side of things, Kanye West didn’t get to perform on Letterman last night which may keep his album sales below three million. Single tear.

Vice signs the Raveonettes

Seems like a certain Danish duo’s U.S. label woes are no longer. We told you back here that Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo of the Raveonettes were all done with the new album Lust Lust Lust, but without a label in the U.S. to put it out. Well, today comes news that super hip imprint Vice Records has signed the band, and will release the album early next year. A U.S. tour is expected around that time as well.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings- 100 Days, 100 Nights (Album Review)

What can be said about Sharon Jones that isn’t already embarrassingly apparent? The woman embodies the culture and sound of early soul better than just about anyone else: all the old tropes are there (Naturally’s “My Man Is a Mean Man” and “The Dap Dip” from Dap-Dippin’ With…), her soul/funk compatriots the Dap Kings are exceedingly proficient, and her voice is a force not to be reckoned with. The woman is soul. And though it seemed that Jones had sufficiently dug her niche with soul-revivalists, her latest, 100 Days, 100 Nights, makes her early work sound nostalgic and indebted to her predecessors rather than a retroactive contemporary of them.

Don’t be mistaken; Jones’ early material was the real deal. Naturally’s warmth and expansive sound is undeniably authentic. Because while Jones and the Dap Kings didn’t release a proper album until 2002, Naturally proved three years after their debut that they’d be in the game much longer. It was about as good as soul had been since Stax and Motown collectively ruled the airwaves.

Maybe it’s that legendary dichotomy that Jones has internally reinvigorated with 100 Days: Motown’s pop melodies versus Stax’s raw power. Where Naturally was laced with catchy gems like “How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?” and “Natural Born Lover,” 100 Days is more stripped down, replacing the sing-a-long ballads of her early work with unadulterated emotion. Now, Jones is more Otis Redding than the Supremes. More heartbreak. More longing. More soul.

From the first moans of the melancholic horns on 100 Days’ self-titled opener, it’s clear Jones has shed her pop sensibilities in exchange for the Stax model. She hopelessly boasts, “100 days, 100 nights, to know a man’s heart,” to the painful realization that post-100 days… And though this sentiment was more or less present on her earlier discs, the pain seems more protruding as her voice struggles to scream out “100 days.” Seemingly not all that troubled by it, Jones confidently struts on the sadistically triumphant “Something’s Changed.” She cries, “You don’t even look at me / The way you used to look at me, no” before finally understanding, “You’ve changed, I’ve changed, we’ve changed.” Heartbreak be damned.

Jones simply feels more involved in the music on 100 Days. It feels like she’s actually been wronged. It feels like she’s gotten over it if by nothing else than through song. She bears her soul more fully, as many of the tracks showcase soft-spoken instrumentation (“Humble Me,” “When the Other Foot Drops, Uncle”), leaning almost solely on Jones’ foghorn, heart-wrenching voice.

She still occasionally shows her penchant for pop-balladeering though. Searing through the singably catchy chorus of “Nobody’s Baby” the verses sound strangely more reminiscent of Redding’s “Don’t Mess With Cupid.” And the funk guitars coupled with the call and response of “Tell Me” are immediately infectious, harping back to the Motown aesthetic.

As the album ping pongs between the two divergent sounds so rapidly, it hardly seems fair to label 100 Days as a rawer, more Staxy album. But it’s something about the way she sings, how her voice has more oomph, and how you can hear the painful tinge of heartbreak as she belts out each song. These battling styles is what’s so amazing about Jones though. For someone who many presume is the embodiment of contemporary soul, shouldn’t she be able to blend the two, proving a propensity for both? 100 Days is just that coalescence.

White Stripes Shoot Video, Record New Songs

Despite having scrapped their fall tour, the White Stripes have recently been back in the studio. According to the group’s Web site, the Stripes have “recorded three never-before-heard original songs (with a special collaboration) and one unique new version of a song” from this year’s “Icky Thump.”

In addition, the group has filmed “an exciting new video” for an as-yet-unnamed song. No other details about song titles or release dates have been confirmed.

The Stripes abruptly pulled off the road in mid-September, after it was revealed that drummer Meg White “is suffering from acute anxiety and is unable to travel at this time.”

Meanwhile, frontman Jack White cameos as Elvis Presley in the upcoming film “Walk Hard,” which hits U.S. theaters in December.

Streaming radio on your iPhone

Sure your new iPhone has a pretty little touchscreen and incredibly easy-to-use interface, and, yeah, you can Facebook your friends while you’re in the bathroom, but, really, what use is the internet if you can’t stream KEXP or WFMU? Luckily, it didn’t take too long for some geek-addled company to resolve the problem. Tversity, a New Jersey based software group, has figured out a way to get radio to the iPhone by streaming content from your home computer. WFMU has already signed up; can KEXP be far behind? The one little bummer is that it’s only for the PC at the moment.
Learn more here

http://musicbox.sonybmg.com/videos/foo-fighters/long-road-to-ruin

The Hellacopters call it quits

After nearly thirteen years as The Hellacopters we’re now sad to tell you that we are breaking up. The reasons behind this very difficult decision are many and too personal to go into here.

Playing in a rock and roll band isn’t always a walk in the park, but thanks to all of you who rocked out with us at sweaty clubs, rainy festivals or at home by the stereo throughout the years, it’s been a fantastic trip. We’ll never forget your support.

We recently finished mixing our seventh and last studio album and it’ll be released early next year according to initial plans. We feel like we wanna say one last Goodbye to you and throw in the towel with a bang, so we’re aiming to do a farewell tour through Europe and Scandinavia sometime in the spring. So you’re not getting rid of us just yet.

Thanks!

The Hellacopters

Decemberists cancel 28 shows due to illness

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — The Decemberists have canceled the rest of their fall tour, citing an illness to an undisclosed band member.
Decemberists

Nate Query and Colin Meloy of the Decemberists perform in New York in July.

After performing in Chicago earlier in the week, the Portland-based band canceled 28 remaining shows, including concerts in major markets such as New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Washington, D.C.

“One of our band members has been ill for a while but we thought all would be well in time for these tour dates,” the band said in a statement on its Web site. “After a couple shows, though, it has become clear that the illness is much worse than we had initially realized. We need to return home so our friend can mend.”

The statement did not say which band member is sick, and the band’s record label also would not divulge more details.

“The statement is the information that we’re giving out,” said Courtney Martin at Capitol, which released the band’s major-label debut, “The Crane Wife,” in October 2006. “The statement is what it is.”

The band has been touring relentlessly since “The Crane Wife” came out to critical praise last year.

“It saddens us to disappoint our fans,” the band said on the Web site. “We hope everybody understands it is only because of an extreme situation that we had to cancel a tour we’ve all been excited about doing since the idea was originally hatched.

“Our deepest apologies but at this time no plans are being made to reschedule the dates.”

New Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds record set for March 2008

Nick Cave is a busy, busy man. When not captivating audiences in his newest project, Grinderman, he’s polishing off albums as part of Australia’s moody troubadours Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Their latest offering, Dig Lazarous, Dig has been given a March 3, 2008 release date and found the band returning to Nick Launay, who collaborated on 2004’s Abbatoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus, to produce Dig.

No tour plans have been announced and as of yet the release date is UK only.

Hold Steady to release live album

Sometimes one wonders if it’s chicken-or-the-egg with the Hold Steady: Were they first “The Best Bar Band in America” (quoth NPR) and then subsequently recognized as such? Or was it the deification that came before, and the “riffs/poetry/BEER” live act (at least in its current incarnation) that shrewdly followed?

In many ways, the correct answer is “It’s awesome. Who cares.”

But with news now surfacing that the band will release a live album in 2008, it’s a question that seems particularly relevant: Between their more-than-a-little oxymoronic critical coronation (find me a real Hipster Bar Band, I’ll find you the Giant Flying Unicorn Bus on which they tour) and their equally winking/ironic acceptance of the crown (pretty sure Craig Finn’s always been a little more Lou Reed than Hootie, yes?), at this point in the Hold Steady’s rather unique evolution…what exactly should be deemed progress?

For the Best Kerouac-Quoting Indie Approximation of What a Bar Band Might Be Like in America™, a live album seems like both a ho-hum stopgap and—fair or not—a self-aware fork in the road. [NME]

For now, all non-existential paths lead to Seattle:

11-04 Seattle, WA – HUB Ballroom
11-05 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
11-06 San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theater
11-07 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
11-08 San Diego, CA – Cane’s
11-09 Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
11-11 Boulder, CO – Fox Theater
11-12 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
11-13 Lawrence, KS – Granada
11-14 Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
11-15 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
11-17 Birmingham, AL – BottleTree Annex
11-18 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
11-19 Richmond, VA – Toad’s Place Richmond
11-20 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
11-21 New York, NY – Terminal 5

(All dates with Art Brut)

Feist- 1234 (Live on SNL)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkBZfOP_ZZ0&rel=1&border=0]

Stereolab origins parts 1 , 2, 3, and 4

It’s youtubeishness, but I thought this was a really interesting way to show the influences of a band, especially Stereolab who celebrated their influences almost as much as they celebrated old synths. We’re also coming up on the anniversary of the death of Mary Hansen in 2002

View Part 1- Part 2- Part 3- Part 4

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Morrissey to release new album next year, tour like crazy

He may have turned down a jillion dollar offer to reunite the Smiths, and he may have overreacted by kicking off a supporting act for making a joke compliment about his head-giving abilities. But if there’s one thing to be happy about, it’s that he sure as shit isn’t satisfied to sit around and practice his thumb twiddling as his temples get a little bit grayer every day. Morrissey has plans to release a new album in 2008, according to Billboard, as his seemingly neverending tour of “Ringleader of the Tormentors” winds down.

Moz’s manager told Billboard that the perennial sad sack is slated to team up again with producer Jerry Finn (”You Are the Quarry”) for a new studio album. Morrissey also plans to release a greatest hits collection (gawd, he loves doing this), which will include two new songs. And after a break for a few months, the singer plans to get back out on the road beginning in January.

Panda Bear – “Comfy In Nautica”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25_gjUbvqNg&rel=1]

Zeppelin reunion show: hold everything

No, it’s not off, so calm down. It’s merely been postponed. Seems Jimmy Page recently broke a finger. Seeing as all ten of his are quite integral to Led Zeppelin as a musical force, the band has pushed back its much-anticipated gig at London’s O2 arena to December 10. For those keeping count, that’s only a short two weeks different from the original November 26 date. Page must have some kind of super-fast healing power. I bet the devil threw that in there as a little bonus when he gave Page extraordinary guitar prowess. Of course, this short delay will surely only add fire to the rumors that the London show won’t really be a one-off. More time for Chinese factories to pump out Zep merch for a revenue record-shattering 2008 jaunt, right?

Radiohead, XL Complete Deal For ‘In Rainbows’

Radiohead has ended weeks of speculation by confirming it has struck a deal with British indie label XL Recordings for the physical release of its new album, “In Rainbows.”

The deal is expected to cover territories outside North America, leaving the band free to sign a separate deal there, but no further details have yet been made available.

A release date for the physical CD has also not been given, but sources suggest it will coincide with the Dec. 3 arrival of the “discbox” edition of “In Rainbows” available only from Radiohead.com. Others speculate it may not appear until next year.

The band broke the industry rulebooks when they made “In Rainbows” available for download on Oct. 10, with fans able to name their own price. No sales figures have been released, but the band’s manager Bryce Edge told Billboard recently that reports of 1.2 million were “exaggerated.”

London-based XL, which operates under the umbrella of the Beggars Group, last year released Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke’s critically lauded solo album, “The Eraser,” which was nominated for the annual Mercury Music Prize.

Ex-Manager For Ramones Beaten To Death

Linda Stein, a pioneer in New York’s punk music scene who later became known as a real estate “broker to the stars,” was beaten to death inside her Manhattan apartment, the medical examiner ruled.

Stein’s daughter found her body Tuesday night face down in the living room of the Upper East Side apartment in New York, where she lived alone. There were no signs of a break-in or robbery, and police said they had no motive or suspects.

An autopsy found that Stein, 62, died from blows to the head and neck, medical examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said Wednesday.

Stein was the ex-wife of Seymour Stein, former president of Sire Records, which was the launching pad for the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna.

A former schoolteacher, she and Danny Fields co-managed the Ramones during the band’s heyday. She is credited with bringing the Ramones to England for their infamous July 4, 1976, concert that helped spark the young British punk scene.

Reached Wednesday by telephone, Fields said Stein had the right temperament for the rough and raunchy world of punk. “She was very tough, but very loving and generous,” he said.

Friends and family were stunned by the news she was a victim of violence, Fields said. “It was enough dealing with her death,” he said. “Now it’s a murder.”

After Stein and Fields parted ways with the Ramones in 1980, she eventually launched a real estate career brokering multimillion-dollar Manhattan apartments for rock’n'roll royalty, including Sting and Billy Joel.

Aside from real estate, “her great joy in life was her first grandchild,” a 3-year-old girl, Fields said.

Peter: now with 100% less Bjorn and John!

Peter Morén, one-third of last year’s whistlin’ sensations Peter Bjorn and John, has recorded a solo album.

The album is tentatively set to be titled The Last Tycoon.

Reports Pitchfork:
“Morén’s still mixing the LP– which draws inspiration from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished final novel The Love of the Last Tycoon and On the Waterfront director Elia Kazan’s filmic adaptation The Last Tycoon– and he’s yet to find a label for it.”

As for what the album’s sound will be like, not much is known—though it stands to reason some secrets will be revealed on November 19th, when Morén plays a lonely solo date at Joe’s Pub in NYC. The young folks eagerly await.