FREE YR RADIO HITS THE MUSIC FESTIVALS BROADCAST STAGES TO BENEFIT INDIE STATIONS IN JERSEY CITY, SAN FRANCISCO, SEATTLE, NYC AND NEW ORLEANS

In its third year Toyota’s Free Yr Radio brings music to the masses hosting the Free Yr Radio Broadcast Stage benefitting independent stations at All Points West, Outside Lands, Bumbershoot, CMJ and Voodoo Festival.

Launched in 2007 with a mission to support independent radio stations Free Yr Radio has equipped over 20 partner stations with tools to increase exposure and listener support. Those stations have included KEXP (Seattle an NY), The Current (Twin Cities, MN), KUSF (San Francisco) and KXLU (Los Angeles) among others. In previous years the campaign hosted shows featuring top indie talent in Urban Outfitters stores across the U.S. Partner bands have included Sonic Youth, No Age, Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr., King Khan, !!!, Dan Deacon, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer and others. In addition to generating awareness and support through the free station-hosted concerts, participating radio stations were also given the opportunity to award a brand new Toyota Yaris to a listener to help boost fundraising or listener appreciation efforts.

This summer and fall music fans will encounter the Toyota Free Yr Radio Broadcast Stage with independent radio stations hosting and broadcasting interviews and performances of festival talent. The audio captured at these stages will be distributed free of charge to the nation’s network of CMJ-reporting indie radio stations.

“Toyota and Free Yr Radio are proud to be a part of the vibrancy and energy of the music festivals and the ongoing support of indie radio stations and their fans,” said Keith Dahl, Toyota National Manager of Engagement Marketing. “This year we are going beyond the walls of intimate venues and broadcasting these interviews and performances to everyone.”

Free Yr Radio will make a contribution to each festival partner station and each station will have the opportunity to raise additional funds through on-site activities geared toward festival attendees. Free Yr Radio festival activities include a photo booth Corolla, and a Shrinky Dink wearable art station. The campaign kicks off this weekend at All Points West. Interview and performance schedule is below.

Free Yr Radio 2009 festivals and partner stations include:

All Points West – Jersey City, NJ
July 31 – Aug 2
Benefitting The Core, Rutgers University (with a partnership with nearby Piscataway High School)
thecore.fm

All Points West Interview/Performance Schedule:
Fri. July 31: Heartless Bastards (2 PM), Eugene Mirman (4:30 PM), Telepathe (5 PM), Jake and Amir (5:30 PM), Peanut Butter Wolf (10 PM)

Sat. Aug. 1: Black Gold (3 PM), Chairlift (4 PM), Electric Touch (4:30 PM), Jeff Rubin/Streeter Seidell (5 PM), Tokyo Police Club (5:30 PM)

Sun. Aug. 2: PT Walkley (12 PM), Steel Train (1:30 PM), Todd Barry (3:30 PM), Hey Champ (4 PM), Kitty, Daisy (5 PM)

VIC CHESNUTT CONFIRMS FALL TOUR DATES IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM

AT THE CUT OUT SEPTEMBER 22 ON CONSTELLATION RECORDS; FEATURES MEMBERS OF FUGAZI, GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR, SILVER MT. ZION

“Chesnutt writes intimate, Southern-flavored story songs that are at once crude and elegant; beautiful and gruesome; joyful and sad.”—NPR’s “Weekend Edition”

“When wheelchair-bound Vic Chesnutt spikes his soul-crushing songs with a wicked grin, he somehow gives discomfort a powerful allure.”—SPIN

This fall Vic Chesnutt will embark on a six-week North American tour in support of At the Cut, the Athens, GA-based singer-songwriter’s latest effort. The touring band features Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Silver Mt. Zion, all of whom collaborated with Chesnutt on the new album which is out September 22 on Constellation Records. At the Cut is the follow-up to North Star Deserter, Chesnutt’s 2007 collaborative recording with the same group, lauded by SPIN for “[turning] chronic disquiet into disturbingly palpable dread-folk” and Pitchfork for “[sounding] like a return to the dark woods after years in the city.” Please see below for a complete list of tour dates.

Recorded by former Arcade Fire member Howard Bilerman at Montreal’s Hotel2Tango studio, At the Cut focuses on themes of cowardice, courage, mortality, tenacity, defiance, mourning and memory. The opening track, “Coward,” was originally written for director (and Chesnutt collaborator) Jem Cohen’s Empires of Tin and premiered in a live performance by Chesnutt and his band at the 2007 Vienna Film Festival. Reflecting the broad stylistic range of contributors on the album, the songs on At the Cut span the musical spectrum from classic Vic Chesnutt solo acoustic tracks to the sweeping walls of noise and snarling, angular guitars trademarked by his many collaborators. To be made available on CD and LP, the album’s artwork features original and found photography by Jem Cohen.

In the 19 years since Chesnutt’s debut album, he has made his mark by collaborating with a wide range of artists including Michael Stipe, Lambchop, Bill Frisell, Elephant Six mainstays Elf Power, Widespread Panic and the Cowboy Junkies. Hailing from rural Georgia and confined to a wheelchair since an automobile accident at the age of 18, Chesnutt has released 15 critically acclaimed records; been covered by a number of artists on the tribute album “Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation” including R.E.M., the Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna and Sparklehorse; Chesnutt was the subject of the 1992 PBS documentary Speed Racer and appeared in the Oscar Award-winning film Sling Blade.

VIC CHESNUTT
October 23 Mavericks Ottawa, ON
October 24 Ukranian Federation Hall Montreal, QC
October 25 Sommerville Theater Cambridge, MA
October 26 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
October 27 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
October 28 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
October 29 Ottobar Baltimore, MD
October 30 Black Cat Washington, DC
October 31 The Soapbox Wilmington, NC
November 1 The EARL Atlanta, GA
November 2 40 Watt Club Athens, GA
November 4 Southgate House Newport, KY
November 5 Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL
November 6 Detroit Institute of Arts Detroit, MI
November 7 Lee’s Palace Toronto, ON
November 19 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
November 20 West End Cultural Centre Winnipeg, MB
November 21 Amigo’s Saskatoon, SK
November 22 McDougall United Church Edmonton, AB
November 23 Knox United Church Calgary, AB
November 25 Richards on Richards Vancouver, BC
November 26 Lucky Bar Victoria, BC
November 27 Crocodile Seattle, WA
November 28 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR
November 30 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
December 1 The Regent Los Angeles, CA
December 2 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
December 4 Hailey’s Denton, TX
December 5 Central Presbyterian Church Austin, TX

CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED BUZZ BAND THE KNUX PERFORM ON “ALL POINTS WEST” FESTIVAL LINEUP

WHO: THE KNUX featuring brother’s Krispy Kream & Rah Almillio (a.k.a. Kentrell & Alvin Lindsey), who make genre defyingbeats for pop-minded hip hop fans, nerds, punks and the alternative/indie music community. Think Black Flag meets The Strokes with some Outkast thrown in the mix.

WHAT: Their critically acclaimed debut album REMIND ME IN 3 DAYS was enthusiastically supported by ROLLING STONE, SPIN, BLENDER, VIBE, PEOPLE, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, URB etc. along with national television including JIMMY KIMMEL SHOW,LATE NIGHT WITH CRAIG FERGUSON, LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY, MTV and VH1 among others.

THE KNUX rank #28 on Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Albums Of The Year (for all genres), which is quite an honor as only three hip hop artists made the list, including Lil Wayne and Nas. Rolling Stone also rank THE KNUX’s – REMIND ME IN THREE DAYS as the 2nd Best Hip Hop Album Of The Year, right behind mega-Grammy nominee and winner `Lil Wayne.

THE KNUX are performing at all of the major summer music festivals (cross genre) from Essence Music Festival to Lollapalooza, ROCK THE BELLS, All PointsWest, Austin City Limits, The Bumbershoot, Voodoo Fest, etc. and recently played Bonnaroo, Sasquatch and the mainstage ofCoachella. The duo were also featured on the cover of the LA Times and The LA Weekly and have been included on numerous critics year-end “Best Release” lists.

“Their music is an attempt to make them immune from category, and…as ambassadors they are capable of bringing us closer to a broadening hip hop world where guitars and gangsters co-exist.” –SPIN MAGAZINE

WHERE: ALL POINTS WEST
West Jersey City, NJ

ELECTRIC TOUCH Set to Perform at All Points West Music Festival – In Addition To Three NYC Area Shows

Austin, TX rock quartet - ELECTRIC TOUCH, will be performing songs from their self-titled debut album; released last August through Texas-based indie-label, Justice Records. The Houston Press had this to say about Electric Touch: “Electric Touch…reaches a level of sophistication to which most new(ish) bands can only aspire. In opener "Love in Our Hearts," lead singer Shane Lawlor's gritty voice — easily comparable to that of a young Robert Plant or Mick Jagger — commands the listener's immediate attention…Seamlessly produced, Electric Touch still manages to capture the band's lively stage presence.”

WHO: Justice Records’ recording artist, ELECTRIC TOUCH

WHERE: All Points West Festival, Piano’s, Crash Mansion,
NJ State Park, 158 Ludlow, 199 Bowery,
Jersey City, NJ New York, NY New York, NY

WHEN: Saturday – Aug. 1, 2009 July 28 & 30 July 29, 2009
ET set time: 2:15-3pm 10:00 pm 7:00 pm

ABOUT ELECTRIC TOUCH
The Texas four-piece played their first show in December 2007 and immediately signed a deal with Justice Records. Before their self-titled debut album even hit stores last August, ELECTRIC TOUCH rocked the stages of Coachella, Bonnaroo, SXSW, Lollapalooza and The Austin City Limits Festivals in addition to completing a US tour with The Fratellis and The Airborne Toxic Event last fall. This spring they again performed at Coachella and will also make an appearance at the City Stages Musical Festival, Oklahoma Greenfest, Mile High Music Festival in CO and the All Points West Music & Arts Festival in NJ this August.

ELECTRIC TOUCH is Shane Lawlor (vocals), Louis Messina, Jr. (drums), Ross Dubois (bass), and Christopher Leigh (guitar).

Salman Rushdie and Dredg Co-headline SPIN Benefit for Housing Works October 1 in NYC

“Liner Notes,” an Evening of Music and Literature, to Raise Money for HIV/AIDS,
Presented by SPIN

July 15, 2009 (New York, NY)—Acclaimed author Salman Rushdie and progressive rock band Dredg will co-headline Liner Notes, an event at Housing Works Bookstore Café on Thursday, October 1, 2009, to explore the cross-pollination of music and literature and raise funds for Housing Works, a New York-based AIDS service organization. The event will be presented by SPIN and its SPIN.com Book Club, and will celebrate the recent release of Dredg’s fourth album, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion, which was inspired by Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There's No Heaven: A Letter to the Sixth Billionth Citizen.”

“Progress has always relied on bold and courageous efforts to cut the ties to old traditions, trends and beliefs,” says Dredg singer/guitarist Gavin Hayes. “Salman Rushdie is a living example of such courage and one of the reasons why we chose to use his essay, ‘A Letter to the Six Billionth Citizen’ as an outline and inspiration for our new record and its artwork. We are extremely excited and flattered to share an evening with such a talent.”

"I'm flattered that Dredg were inspired in part by my essay, very interested to listen to the results, and much looking forward to joining them at Housing Works," Rushdie adds.

Salman Rushdie is the author of nine novels, including Midnight’s Children (which was awarded the Booker Prize in 1981, and, in 2008, was voted the “Best of the Booker”), The Satanic Verses (winner of the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel), The Ground Beneath Her Feet (winner of the Eurasian section of the Commonwealth Prize), Fury (a New York Times Notable Book) and Enchantress of Florence. He is also the author of a book of stories and four works of nonfiction. He is co-editor of Mirrorwork, an anthology of contemporary Indian writing. In 2007 Rushdie was awarded a knighthood for services to literature, and in 2008 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Dredg is a four-piece progressive rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area formed in 1993. They have released four albums, including 2002's El Cielo and 2005’s Catch Without Arms, both on Interscope Records. This year the band, which is composed of vocalist/guitarist Gavin Hayes, bassist Drew Roulette, guitarist Mark Engles and drummer Dino Campanella, released The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion on their own label Ohlone Recordings through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. Dredg has toured extensively in North America and Europe, and has played numerous festivals, including Coachella and Outside Lands.

The SPIN.com Book Club (spin.com/bookclub) is an eclectic collection of literary-minded musicians (including Dredg’s Drew Roulette) who recommend and discuss books that have influenced their songwriting and musical careers. The Book Club, created and spearheaded by writer and music journalist Emily Zemler, hopes to highlight the influence of literature on music, promote literacy, foster a love of reading among music fans, and raise money for nonprofit organizations. This is the third Liner Notes event, a series established and organized by Zemler with the help of SPIN and Housing Works. The flagship event, headlined by musician Tegan Quin (Tegan and Sara) and author Augusten Burroughs on September 4, 2008 raised over $8,000 for Housing Works, and a pairing of musician Amanda Palmer and author Neil Gaiman on June 3, 2009 raised over $10,000.

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe is a nonprofit bookstore, cafe and event venue stocked entirely by donations and run largely by volunteers. The store hosts readings, concerts, panels, parties, stand-up comedy, spelling bees, trivia nights and more; offers great coffee, wine and beer, homemade baked goods and snacks; free wi-fi; and the opportunity to rent the space for private events. All proceeds benefit Housing Works, the nation's largest community-based AIDS service organization. Since 1990, more than 20,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS have received lifesaving services including housing, medical and mental health care, meals, job training, drug treatment, HIV prevention education and social support.

Launched in 1985, SPIN has established itself as one of the most influential voices in music and culture. From the next big things to innovative icons, SPIN provides the most comprehensive coverage via SPIN magazine, SPIN.com, SPIN Digital, and SPIN Earth. With a guaranteed circulation of 450,000 readers, SPIN magazine, a monthly, currently reaches an audience of over two million.

SPIN.com Book Club Presents Liner Notes
with Salman Rushdie and Dredg
Thursday October 1, 2009
Doors at 7 p.m.
Show at 7:30 p.m.
Housing Works Bookstore Café
126 Crosby Street (one block east of Broadway between Houston and Prince)
Subway: W, R to Prince; B, D, F, V to Broadway/Lafayette; 6 to Bleecker
General Information: (212) 334-3324
$25 and donation of a new or gently used book
Tickets will go on sale Monday August 24 at http://www.spin.com/articles/author-salman-rushdie-dredg-join-forces-spin-charity-event

JAY-Z CONFIRMED AS FRIDAY NIGHT HEADLINER OF ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL

That's right. Jay-Z is set to replace Beastie Boys at All Points West.

JAY-Z CONFIRMED AS FRIDAY NIGHT HEADLINER OF ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL SHOW TO MARK HIP-HOP SUPERSTAR’S U.S. FESTIVAL DEBUT

In a precedent-setting move for American music festivals, ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL organizers have just confirmed the U.S. festival debut of JAY-Z. The hip-hop superstar and pop culture icon will take over the headlining slot for the opening night (Friday, July 31) of the critically acclaimed annual event.

This show will mark the U.S. festival debut of Jay-Z, who last year performed at a variety of overseas festivals including the U.K.’s Glastonbury, Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, Norway’s Hove Festival and the O2 Wireless Festival in London. In a review of a recent show, the LOS ANGELES TIMES’ Ann Powers said, “Jay-Z shows are fun because the rapper is so adept at spinning liquid gold; his mouth is one of the most nimble in the genre’s history, and he uses it to present thoughts that are sharp, funny and resonant” (July 4, 2009).

Grammy winner Jay-Z joins Tool (Saturday) and Coldplay (Sunday) as headliners of the three-day, multi-stage music and arts festival. ALL POINTS WEST will also feature performances from Echo & The Bunnymen, My Bloody Valentine, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, MSTRKRFT, Gogol Bordello, The Black Keys, Fleet Foxes, Neko Case, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arctic Monkeys and more than 65 artists appearing throughout the 80-acre historic location that has panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Manhattan skyline.

ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL organizers would also like to extend their best wishes to Beastie Boy Adam Yauch as he undergoes treatment for throat cancer. As previously reported, Beastie Boys were forced to cancel their headlining appearance at APW's opening night (Friday, July 31)--as well as all other engagements--when Yauch was diagnosed as having a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland. For those requesting refunds based on this news, ticket refunds are available at point of purchase for Friday single day tickets only.

ALL POINTS WEST is produced by Goldenvoice and Liberty Event in association with the HighLine Ballroom. For up-to-the-minute information on the ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL, visit www.apwfestival.com.

ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL - Coming soon!

the National / Fleet Foxes / MSTRKRFT / Q-Tip / the Pharcyde / Organized Konfusion / the Knux / Ra Ra Riot / Seasick Steve / Telepathe / Shearwater / Heartless Bastards / Xavier Rudd / Flying Lotus / Rye Rye / CollegeHumor Live / Arj Barker / Eugene Mirman / Bo Burnham/ Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Vampire Weekend / TOOL / My Bloody Valentine / Gogol Bordello / Arctic Monkeys / Neko Case / the Ting Tings / Crystal Castles / St. Vincent / Tokyo Police Club / CollegeHumor Live / …And You Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead / the Cool Kids / Kool Keith / Cage the Elephant / Chairlift / White Rabbits / Electric Touch / the Postelles / Black Gold / the Honey Brothers / Tim & Eric / Judah Friedlander / Jim Jefferies/ Coldplay / Echo & The Bunnymen / MGMT / the Black Keys / Elbow / Silversun Pickups / Mogwai / We Are Scientists / Ghostland Observatory / the Gaslight Anthem / Etienne De Crecy / Lykke Li / CollegeHumor Live / Akron/Family / Steel Train / Kitty, Daisy and Lewis / La Roux / Janeane Garofolo / Todd Barry

http://apwfestival.com/
http://apwfestival.com/lineup/

BLACK GOLD NEW YORK DUO ANNOUNCES EAST COAST DATES AS THEY PREPARE FOR NORTH AMERICAN FESTIVAL DEBUT AT ALL POINTS WEST ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 1

BLACK GOLD NEW YORK DUO ANNOUNCES EAST COAST DATES AS THEY PREPARE FOR NORTH AMERICAN FESTIVAL DEBUT AT ALL POINTS WEST ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 SINGLE “PLANS & REVERIES” HEADS TO ALTERNATIVE RADIO SET FOR APPEARANCES ON FEARLESS TV, DIESEL RADIO AND NEW YORK ALTERNATIVE ROCK STATION 101.9 WRXP

New York duo BLACK GOLD have announced a new set of East Coast tour dates--kicking off next Tuesday, July 28 in Washington, DC--in support of their acclaimed debut album RUSH, released earlier this year. These new dates bookend the band’s performance at All Points West--their debut performance at a major North American music festival--on Saturday, August 1. BLACK GOLD is set for a 1:10pm time slot on the Bullet Stage at All Points West, taking place at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ.

Hailed by SPIN as "breathlessly experimental" with “sweeping orchestral rock,” BLACK GOLD’s RUSH has received critical praise from People, URB.COM, MetroMix, Big Shot and more. Currently, the album track “Plans & Reveries” is being serviced to alternative radio throughout the country. The video for the keenly constructed, keys-driven song--“…about the moment when you come to and realize what you had and what you’ve lost” (per lead singer Eric Ronick)--won mtvU’s weekly online competition “The Freshmen” earlier this year. Other standout tracks from RUSH include the infectious analog synth strut of “Detroit”--an iTunes “Single of the Week” last fall--and “Shine,” currently spinning on New York alternative rock station 101.9 WRXP.

BLACK GOLD—multi-instrumentalists ERIC RONICK and THAN LUU—is set to perform live on WRXP this Thursday, July 23 at 9am EST on “The Rock Show with Matt Pinfield and Leslie Fram” in advance of their All Points West appearance. In addition to WRXP, the band will host and perform during a live broadcast on Diesel:U:Music Radio this Friday, July 24 at 12pm EST, which can be streamed online at: www.dieselumusic.com. Also look for the band’s appearance on the nationally syndicated Fox television show “Fearless TV” later this summer.

BLACK GOLD Tour Dates
Tue
7/28
Washington, D.C.
Rock and Roll Hotel
Sat
8/1
Jersey City, NJ
All Points West at Liberty State Park
Sun
8/2
Boston, MA
Harper’s Ferry
Tue
8/4
Toledo, OH
Frankie’s

www.blackgoldmusic.com
www.myspace.com/blackgold

VIC CHESNUTT’S AT THE CUT OUT SEPTEMBER 22

VIC CHESNUTT’S AT THE CUT OUT SEPTEMBER 22 ON CONSTELLATION RECORDS
ALBUM FEATURES MEMBERS OF FUGAZI, GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR, SILVER MT. ZION

“Chesnutt writes intimate, Southern-flavored story songs that are at once crude and elegant; beautiful and gruesome; joyful and sad.”—NPR’s “Weekend Edition”

“When wheelchair-bound Vic Chesnutt spikes his soul-crushing songs with a wicked grin, he somehow gives discomfort a powerful allure.”—SPIN

At the Cut, the latest effort from Athens, GA-based singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, is due September 22 on Constellation Records. A collaboration with Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Silver Mt. Zion, At the Cut is the follow-up to Chesnutt’s 2007 collaborative recording with the same group, North Star Deserter, lauded by SPIN for “[turning] chronic disquiet into disturbingly palpable dread-folk,” and Pitchfork for “[sounding] like a return to the dark woods after years in the city.”

Recorded by former Arcade Fire member Howard Bilerman at Montreal’s Hotel2Tango studio, At the Cut focuses on themes of cowardice, courage, mortality, tenacity, defiance, mourning and memory. The opening track, “Coward,” was originally written for director (and Chesnutt collaborator) Jem Cohen’s Empires of Tin and premiered in a live performance by Chesnutt and his band at the 2007 Vienna Film Festival. Reflecting the broad stylistic range of contributors on the album, the songs on At the Cut span the musical spectrum from classic Vic Chesnutt solo acoustic tracks to the sweeping walls of noise and snarling, angular guitars trademarked by his many collaborators. To be made available on CD and LP, the album’s artwork features original and found photography by Jem Cohen.

In the 19 years since Chesnutt’s debut album, he has made his mark by collaborating with a wide range of artists including Michael Stipe, Lambchop, Bill Frisell, Elephant Six mainstays Elf Power, Widespread Panic and the Cowboy Junkies. Hailing from rural Georgia and confined to a wheelchair since an automobile accident at the age of 18, Chesnutt has released 15 critically acclaimed records; been covered by a number of artists on the tribute album “Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation” including R.E.M., the Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna and Sparklehorse; was the subject of the 1992 PBS documentary Speed Racer and appeared in the Oscar Award-winning film Sling Blade.

SUFJAN STEVENS PRESENTS THE BQE

SUFJAN STEVENS PRESENTS THE BQE
CD/DVD WITH VIEWMASTER® REEL, 180-GRAM VINYL
WITH COMIC BOOK DUE OCTOBER 20 VIA
ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS

“[The BQE] uses swirling, glimmering Romantic orchestration (by way of soundtracks and 1950s pop) to make [Stevens’] private ruminations more quizzical and more alluring at the same time.”
—The New York Times

“Stevens’ film and score managed to turn the city into an object of such joy it felt like an honor to be from the place.”—ARTslanT

Sufjan Stevens premiered The BQE, a film and musical suite exploring New York City’s infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival in November 2007. The critically applauded performance featured 36 performers including a band, a wind and brass ensemble, string players, a horn section, projected film footage of the expressway and five hula hoopers. On October 20, Asthmatic Kitty Records will release The BQE (also available via Rough Trade in the UK, P-Vine in Japan, Spunk in Australia).

The comprehensive package features the CD soundtrack, the DVD of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway film footage, a 40-page booklet with extensive liner notes & photographs and an accompanying stereoscopic 3-D Viewmaster® reel. Furthermore, Asthmatic Kitty will release a limited edition double gatefold vinyl edition of The BQE on 180-gram vinyl with a large-scale 32-page booklet including liner notes, photographs and a black and white version of a 40-page BQE-themed Hooper Heroes comic book. View a video trailer of The BQE here: vimeo.com/5682252.

On October 24, 92YTribeca will host the premiere screening of The BQE DVD with an introduction by Stevens. At the screening, the Osso Quartet will perform selections from Run Rabbit Run. Tickets for this event go on sale July 23 via http://www.92y.org/92yTribeca/default.asp.

The concept behind The BQE is based largely on the history of New York’s Brooklyn-Queens Expressway—12.7 miles of urban roadway built between 1939 and1964 by master urban planner Robert Moses. The Viewmaster®, unveiled at the 1939 NYC World’s Fair (the World’s Fair being part of the motivation for the construction of the BQE, funneling New Yorkers to and from Flushing, Queens), was intended to promote 3-D panoramic illusions of the American landscape and serve as advertising for various tourist destinations and motivation for American drivers. The Hooper Heroes comic book, written by Stevens and drawn, colored and inked by collaborator Stephen Halker, follows three extra-terrestrial superhero sisters who use hula-hoops to combat “the Messiah of Civic Projects,” Captain Moses.

Sufjan Stevens has released seven studio recordings since 2000 including Michigan and Illinois, the first two entries in an epic series of 50 recordings each based on a different U.S. state; a 5-EP Christmas box set; and Enjoy Your Rabbit, an instrumental electronic song cycle based on the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Run Rabbit Run, a recording of Enjoy Your Rabbit rearranged for the Osso String Quartet, is due October 6 via Asthmatic Kitty. Stevens has also collaborated with fellow indie pop acts Danielson Famile, Rosie Thomas, Denison Witmer, My Brightest Diamond and many others.

Salman Rushdie and Dredg Co-headline SPIN Benefit for Housing Works October 1 in NYC

“Liner Notes,” an Evening of Music and Literature, to Raise Money for HIV/AIDS,

Presented by SPIN
July 15, 2009 (New York, NY)—Acclaimed author Salman Rushdie and progressive rock band Dredg will co-headline Liner Notes, an event at Housing Works Bookstore Café on Thursday, October 1, 2009, to explore the cross-pollination of music and literature and raise funds for Housing Works, a New York-based AIDS service organization. The event will be presented by SPIN and its SPIN.com Book Club, and will celebrate the recent release of Dredg’s fourth album, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion, which was inspired by Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There's No Heaven: A Letter to the Sixth Billionth Citizen.”

“Progress has always relied on bold and courageous efforts to cut the ties to old traditions, trends and beliefs,” says Dredg singer/guitarist Gavin Hayes. “Salman Rushdie is a living example of such courage and one of the reasons why we chose to use his essay, ‘A Letter to the Six Billionth Citizen’ as an outline and inspiration for our new record and its artwork. We are extremely excited and flattered to share an evening with such a talent.”

"I'm flattered that Dredg were inspired in part by my essay, very interested to listen to the results, and much looking forward to joining them at Housing Works," Rushdie adds.

Salman Rushdie is the author of nine novels, including Midnight’s Children (which was awarded the Booker Prize in 1981, and, in 2008, was voted the “Best of the Booker”), The Satanic Verses (winner of the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel), The Ground Beneath Her Feet (winner of the Eurasian section of the Commonwealth Prize), Fury (a New York Times Notable Book) and Enchantress of Florence. He is also the author of a book of stories and four works of nonfiction. He is co-editor of Mirrorwork, an anthology of contemporary Indian writing. In 2007 Rushdie was awarded a knighthood for services to literature, and in 2008 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Dredg is a four-piece progressive rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area formed in 1993. They have released four albums, including 2002's El Cielo and 2005’s Catch Without Arms, both on Interscope Records. This year the band, which is composed of vocalist/guitarist Gavin Hayes, bassist Drew Roulette, guitarist Mark Engles and drummer Dino Campanella, released The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion on their own label Ohlone Recordings through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. Dredg has toured extensively in North America and Europe, and has played numerous festivals, including Coachella and Outside Lands.

The SPIN.com Book Club (spin.com/bookclub) is an eclectic collection of literary-minded musicians (including Dredg’s Drew Roulette) who recommend and discuss books that have influenced their songwriting and musical careers. The Book Club, created and spearheaded by writer and music journalist Emily Zemler, hopes to highlight the influence of literature on music, promote literacy, foster a love of reading among music fans, and raise money for nonprofit organizations. This is the third Liner Notes event, a series established and organized by Zemler with the help of SPIN and Housing Works. The flagship event, headlined by musician Tegan Quin (Tegan and Sara) and author Augusten Burroughs on September 4, 2008 raised over $8,000 for Housing Works, and a pairing of musician Amanda Palmer and author Neil Gaiman on June 3, 2009 raised over $10,000.

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe is a nonprofit bookstore, cafe and event venue stocked entirely by donations and run largely by volunteers. The store hosts readings, concerts, panels, parties, stand-up comedy, spelling bees, trivia nights and more; offers great coffee, wine and beer, homemade baked goods and snacks; free wi-fi; and the opportunity to rent the space for private events. All proceeds benefit Housing Works, the nation's largest community-based AIDS service organization. Since 1990, more than 20,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS have received lifesaving services including housing, medical and mental health care, meals, job training, drug treatment, HIV prevention education and social support.

Launched in 1985, SPIN has established itself as one of the most influential voices in music and culture. From the next big things to innovative icons, SPIN provides the most comprehensive coverage via SPIN magazine, SPIN.com, SPIN Digital, and SPIN Earth. With a guaranteed circulation of 450,000 readers, SPIN magazine, a monthly, currently reaches an audience of over two million.
SPIN.com Book Club Presents Liner Notes

with Salman Rushdie and Dredg
Thursday October 1, 2009
Doors at 7 p.m.
Show at 7:30 p.m.
Housing Works Bookstore Café
126 Crosby Street (one block east of Broadway between Houston and Prince)
Subway: W, R to Prince; B, D, F, V to Broadway/Lafayette; 6 to Bleecker
General Information: (212) 334-3324
$25 and donation of a new or gently used book
Tickets will go on sale Monday, August 24 at
http://www.housingworks.org/events/detail/spin-presents-liner-notes-with-salman-rushdie-and-dredg/

The Clientele - NYC show / Bonfires on the Heath

NYC show / Bonfires on the Heath

Hi folks; news just in is we’re playing in Brooklyn on the 19th July, a flying visit to the states which will also include an appearance at Mergefest in Chapel Hill, NC. Our new album is in the can and will be called “Bonfires on the Heath”. News on a release date when we get it.

On a more important note, a vexatious question often asked of band members, “if God Save the Clientele were a wine, which wine would it be?” is comprehensively laid to rest here thank God.
http://www.winesandmakers.com/blog/wine-review/pairing-wine-with-music-banyan-gewurz-and-the-clientele/

Stream of “Leave Us And Forgive Us,” a track off Alberta Cross’ debut album Broken Side of Time

Here's a stream of “Leave Us And Forgive Us,” a track off Alberta Cross’ highly anticipated debut album Broken Side of Time, due out on September 22 on ATO Records.

http://easylink.playstream.com/ato_records/leave_us_and_forgive_us_128.mov

SPIN says “Leave Us and Forgive Us is a fist-pumping banger ready to get the party started...it's hard not to hear echoes of younger rockers like Kings of Leon and My Morning Jacket in Stakee's tortured wails and furious guitar thrashing.”

The song is available to download for free on Alberta Cross’s website www.albertacross.net

DAN AUERBACH OF THE BLACK KEYS EMBARKS ON WINTER TOUR TO SUPPORT ACCLAIMED SOLO DEBUT KEEP IT HID

TOUR BEGINS NOVEMBER 5
“Some musicians just get it. Dan Auerbach is one of those.”—Associated Press
Dan Auerbach—best known as half of The Black Keys—will embark on a winter tour beginning November 5 in Columbus, OH. The tour, which includes shows at New York City’s Webster Hall, Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom and Philadelphia’s Theater of the Living Arts, arrives on the heels of Auerbach’s critically acclaimed solo debut Keep It Hid, recently released on Nonesuch. The album received wide praise from The New York Times, NPR’s Fresh Air, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. Opening for Auerbach on the fall dates are Justin Townes Earle and Jessica Lea Mayfield. Please see below for tour details.

Keep It Hid was produced and engineered by Auerbach at his studio Akron Analog and features him playing a variety of instruments, including drums, guitar, percussion, and keyboards. Many of Auerbach’s friends and family play on the album, including his uncle James Quine, who contributes vocal harmony and electric guitar on the track “Street Walkin.” Other musicians include Jessica Lea Mayfield, who sings on the track “When the Night Comes,” and Bob Cesare, who plays drums on “Whispered Words,” a song originally written by Auerbach’s father. Of the recording process Auerbach states, “I wanted a live, organic sound. Nothing was too plotted or planned, just a lot of spontaneity.” The record was mixed by Auerbach’s good friend Mark Neill at Neill’s Soil of the South studio.

With his Black Keys bandmate Patrick Carney, Auerbach has recorded five critically acclaimed full-length albums, beginning with 2002’s The Big Come Up. 2008’s Attack & Release debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #14, marking The Black Keys’ highest position to date. The New York Times called it a “savage, bitter concoction built on a snarling punk-rock riff,” while the Los Angeles Times called it “without doubt the Keys’ most dynamic effort yet.” Auerbach also has been busy with his own record label, Polymer Sounds, for which he produced the 2008 debut from Jessica Lea Mayfield With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt; Pitchfork praised Mayfield’s album as “fascinating and endlessly listenable.” On November 18, 2008, Nonesuch will release a DVD produced and directed by Lance Bangs titled The Black Keys Live at the Crystal Ballroom.

DAN AUERBACH FALL TOUR DATES
*with Justin Townes Earle and Jessica Lea Mayfield
†with Jessica Lea Mayfield

November 5 Newport Music Hall* Columbus, OH

November 6 The Majestic Theater* Detroit, MI

November 7 Phoenix Concert Theater* Toronto, ONT

November 8 Le National* Montral, QC

November 9 The Paradise† Boston, MA

November 11 Webster Hall† New York, NY

November 12 Theater of the Living Arts† Philadelphia, PA

November 13 Sonar* Baltimore, MD

November 14 Cat’s Cradle† Chapel Hill, NC

November 16 The Orange Peel* Asheville, NC

November 17 Variety Playhouse* Atlanta, GA

November 18 House of Blues* New Orleans, LA

November 20 Minglewood Hall* Memphis, TN

November 21 Cannery Ballroom† Nashville, TN

December 3 Turner Hall* Milwaukee, WI

December 4 First Avenue* Minneapolis, MN

December 6 The Bluebird* Bloomington, IN

December 8 Southgate House* Newport, KY

December 9 House of Blues* Cleveland, OH

TANTRIC’s fourth album, MIND CONTROL, will now be released August 4

TANTRIC MOVES RELEASE DATE FOR ‘MIND CONTROL’ ALBUM TO AUGUST 4; FIRST SINGLE STARTS ITS RISE TO THE TOP OF THE ROCK CHARTS; BAND SET TO LAUNCH TWO-MONTH TOUR WITH ARANDA AND VAYDEN STARTING JULY 31
July 14, 2009 -- TANTRIC’s fourth album, MIND CONTROL, will now be released August 4 on the Silent Majority Group label (through Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group). Originally scheduled for July 21, the album was produced by Brett Hestla (Creed, Framing Hanley, Dark New Day) and is the follow-up to 2008’s THE END BEGINS, which produced the Top Five Rock hit, “Down and Out.”
The album’s first single, “Mind Control,” is currently in the Top 40 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart after only two weeks, garnering spins on over 50 radio stations nationwide including Phoenix, Detroit, Dallas, Houston and Chicago, and including Sirius XM’s “Octane” channel. A video for the track was recently shot in Nashville with director Mason Dixon (who directed the video for “Down and Out”) and will be debuting nationwide via MTV2’s Unleashed on August 4.
In touring news, the band--Hugo Ferreira (lead vocals, keyboards), Joe Pessia (guitars), Erik Leonhardt (bass and vocals), Marcus Ratzenboeck (violin) and Richie Monica (drums)—is gearing up for a U.S. tour with their special guests Aranda and Vayden starting July 31 in Syracuse, which will also include various radio station festivals along the route.
After spending nearly a year on the road promoting THE END BEGINS, Tantric returned home to begin penning their new album. Except home, for each member, was a different place in the U.S. So instead of sitting together in a rehearsal space in the same city, the members of Tantric wrote separately, sending files electronically to Hugo, who compiled them into working demos. After a few months, the band had written almost thirty songs.
“It was a really unique way of approaching a record,” Hugo says. “It was definitely more of a collaboration than the last record in terms of writing. And we wrote it together even though we were thousands of miles apart. I don’t know how, but we really wrote an incredible record in a short period of time. I’ve always wanted to make a record like this.”
The band then reconvened in the secluded studio in Poconos where they had recorded their last album, where they spent a week playing the songs live and experimenting with what they had written long distance for MIND CONTROL. Inevitably, some of the numbers shifted and evolved during that week.
“We had written the whole record over the computer,” says Erik. “So a lot of it changed once we got into the studio. When you have everyone in the same room the ideas start changing. ‘What if we do this? What if we do that?’ We definitely went heavier on this record, too. I think it has a lot to do with having all new members. This is the new band, full on and writing together. We never said ‘let’s write a heavier record,’ this is just what happened.”
The songs on MIND CONTROL are far ranging both in terms of lyrical content and sonic aesthetic, something the band feels truly encapsulates who they are as artists. The title track and first single, “Mind Control,” a song about the media, sits on the heavier end of the spectrum, chugging with propulsive guitars and an arena-ready rock melody. “What Are You Waiting For,” fills the other end of the spectrum, an emotionally urgent power ballad that immediately engages its listener. The album, as a cohesive whole, reveals the band that Tantric has become. After a tumultuous ten-year career, a shifting of members, and four albums spent searching for themselves, Tantric has solidified their line-up and crafted an album that successfully represents who they are.
“My goal is always to do what I love and survive at it,” explains Hugo, “but I would like this record to take us farther than the last record. I would like it to establish Tantric as this band that’s not going anywhere. We’ve been here for four records already and every record that we’re delivering is getting better. I’m so proud of MIND CONTROL. It’s the one I’ve always wanted to make.”
Check out Tantric at any of the upcoming tour dates:

DATE CITY VENUE
All dates with Aranda and Vayden (except for the radio shows indicated):
Fri 7/31 Syracuse, NY Lost Horizon
* Sat 8/1 Altamont, NY WZMR Edgefest/Altamont Fairgrounds
Sun 8/2 Hartford, CT Webster Underground
Tue 8/4 Boston, MA Middle East (downstairs)
Thu 8/6 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance
Fri 8/7 Baltimore, MD The Quarter
Sat 8/8 Laurel, DE The House Sports Bar & Grill
* Sun 8/9 Rochester, NY WZNE show/Riverside Festival Site
Tue 8/11 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar
Wed 8/12 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theatre
Fri 8/14 Louisville, KY Phoenix Hill Tavern
Sat 8/15 Flint, MI The Machine Shop
* Sun 8/16 South Bend, IN Big 10 Rock Fest/St. Patrick’s Park
Sat 8/22 Maplewood, MN The Rock
* Sun 8/23 Algona, IA Rock Gone Wild Festival/Freedom Park
Fri 8/28 Dallas, TX Trees
Sat 8/29 Houston, TX Scout Bar
Sun 8/30 Beaumont, TX Scout Bar
Wed 9/2 San Antonio, TX Scout Bar
Thu 9/3 Abilene, TX Midnite Rodeo
Fri 9/4 Lubbock, TX Tequila Jungle
Sat 9/5 Odessa, TX Dos Amigos Cantina
* Sun 9/6 Sunland Park, NM KLAQ BBQ/Western Playland
* Sat 9/12 Huntington, WV XFest 2009/Harris Riverfront Park
* Wed 9/16 York, PA York Fair
* Indicates radio show.
www.myspace.com/tantric
www.YouTube.com/tantric
www.silentmajoritygroup.com

JULIAN CASABLANCAS READIES SOLO DEBUT

New York, NY—Julian Casablancas is wrapping up work on his debut solo recording scheduled for release this fall on Cult Records/RCA.
The eight songs were written and recorded over the last 12 months with studio work completed in Los Angeles, New York City and Nebraska. The project was produced by Jason Lader with additional production by Mike Mogis.
The album, entitled Phrazes for the Young, features all new material written by Casablancas. Track titles include: “River of Brake Lights,” “Glass” and “Ludlow St.”
Casablancas, a founding member of The Strokes, plans to announce a special series of U.S. dates shortly to be followed by a solo tour later in the year.
For an album preview and additional news visit: juliancasablancas.com
photo credit Williams + Hirakawa.

Aaron & Mike Weiss of mewithoutYou announce August tour dates with Damien Jurado and Psalters

Weiss Family & Friends
Aaron & Mike Weiss of mewithoutYou announce August tour dates with Damien Jurado and Psalters
Fans of mewithoutYou will get to see another side of the Philly experimental band this fall when the Weiss Family hits the road this August for a tour with Damien Jurado and Psalters. MewithoutYou just completed a sold-out US tour and will be taking to the road with an intimate version of the group, offering audiences an alternate take on their classic songs. Look for a few surprises, friends and additional instrumentalists as well.

Joining brothers Aaron on acoustic guitar and Mike Weiss on electric guitar will be Mike's wife Sarah on keyboards, along with Matt Chapin on trumpet. This is most definitely not an “unplugged” outing; however, the percussion section will be far from the driving rock drums mewithoutYou fans are used to. It is a chance to hear mewithoutYou songs interpreted in a new way as the Weiss Family puts a new twist on their impressive body of work. They’ll also be mixing it up with an eclectic selection of covers, but you’ll have to check out one of these shows to find out what they’ll be!

Joining on this tour of family and friends with be songwriter Damien Jurado and gypsy tribal activist band Psalters.
www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou
www.mewithoutyou.com

WEISS Family Tour dates
Sun/Aug-16 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place
Mon/Aug-17 Akron, OH Musica
Tue/Aug-18 Covington, KY Madhatter
Wed/Aug-19 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway
Thu/Aug-20 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Café
Fri/Aug-21 Tulsa, OK The Marquee
Sat/Aug-22 Springfield, MO Outland Ballroom
Sun/Aug-23 Nashville, TN Rocketown
Mon/Aug-24 OFF
Tue/Aug-25 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern
Wed/Aug-26 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
Thu/Aug-27 Virginia Beach, VA The Jewish Mother
Fri/Aug-28 Baltimore, MD The Ottobar
Sat/Aug-29 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock

WILL DAILEY returning to NYC for a show 7/28 at Mercury Lounge

WILL DAILEY's music may be rooted in classic rock -- as he says, "it's part of your vernacular growing up" -- but his songs aren't stuck in the past, they're vital, beautiful tunes about the here and now. And there's no better illustration of how WILL is all about the present than TORRENT, which is not an album in the conventional sense: it's an on-going project. Call TORRENT a conversation between artist and audience, as it invites listeners to follow WILL on his journey as an artist, to witness how he writes and records songs, to be part of his creative process.
Throughout 2009, WILL is digitally releasing EPs every three months, all collecting songs he's recently written. "After you're done, you realize, 'Oh! That's what it's about," he explains, so each installment of TORRENT reflects a certain theme or mood. The first, FASHION OF DISTRACTION (released January 20), was largely written under the influence of the sounds of the '60s and early '70s, particularly the Byrds, so it's fitting that Roger McGuinn guests as a guitarist/vocalist on "Peace of Mind," a song whose lyrics are very much rooted in 21st century topical concerns and timeless emotional introspection. Another EP, BY THE BLUE HILLS (released March 17), is a collection of songs saluting Boston and WILL's musical family there, featuring cameos from Boston luminaries and Dailey friends Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo), Tanya Donelly (Belly, Throwing Muses), Elliott Easton (The Cars), Tim Brennan (Dropkick Murphys) and local fixtures Duke Levine and Sean Staples. These two EPs were paired as a physical CD, entitled TORRENT 1&2, which was released June 9, complete with extras and presented in CODE, a high-resolution audio standard pioneered by T-Bone Burnett.
In 2006, WILL DAILEY won the Boston Music Award for “Best Male Singer/Songwriter,” followed in 2007 with the signing of a new label deal with CBS Records who re-issued his album, BACK FLIPPING FORWARD (which was recorded in nine days). From there, his music started popping up in hit TV shows like “The Hills,” “CSI: Miami,” “Eli Stone” and most recently on “CSI: New York,” performing on camera. All this activity laid the groundwork for TORRENT.
In a recent live review, the New York Post praised: “Sometimes you don’t even have to turn on a TV to discover the next American Idol…Forget the last five months of force-fed artificial pop music on TV…Will Dailey is the real deal.”
Meanwhile, TORRENT 1&2 has been racking up rave reviews:
“‘I’m gonna win your heart, one attack at a time,’ promises this soulful singer-songwriter. And he does just that on this album.”
--People
“Dailey’s sumptuously clever lyrics take the spotlight…Dailey’s troubadour persona proves effective.”
--Music Connection

Dr. Dog Fall Tour Announced!

Hey Folks,
We're a few weeks away from getting back into the studio full time to make a record, which means you may not hear from us for a bit, so before we get in there we wanted to let you know about a pretty awesome fall tour we have lined up. There are a few festival stops and a get together with some of the Rebirth Brass Band in New Orleans to speak of, not to mention that our friend Jeffery Lewis will support just about all the dates. This tour just about wraps up our year so we hope you can make it out. Tickets for all shows are on sale this Friday July 10th. All dates below.
See you soon, Dr Dog

Akron/Family NYC Dates coming up in August!

Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free Tour 2009
Tapers Welcome

July
22 Cleveland, OH Rock & Roll HOF & Museum
23 Detroit Lakes, MN 10K Lakes Festival
24 Chicago, IL, Bottom Lounge ALL AGES w/ Icy Demons
25 Calgary, AB Calgary Folk Festival
26 Calgary, AB Calgary Folk Festival
29 Steamboat Springs, CO Ghostranch Saloon
30 Vail, CO The Sandbar
31 Denver, CO The Bluebird Theatre ALL AGES

August
2 Liberty State Park, NJ All Points West Festival
9 Other Music, New York, NY FREE
11 Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC w/ Wooden Wand
12 Chapel Hill, NC, Cat's Cradle w/ Wooden Wand
13 Atlanta, GA, The Earl w/ Wooden Wand
14 Birmingham, AL, The Bottletree w/ Wooden Wand
15 Asheville, NC, Harvest Records Festival at The Grey Eagle
24 Santa Monica, CA KCRW/Morning Becomes Eclectic
27 San Francisco, CA, To Be Announced
28 San Francisco, CA, Outside Lands Festival at Golden Gate Park
29 Los Angeles, CA, The El Rey Theatre w/ Howlin' Rain, Lucky Dragons ALL AGES

September
7 Seattle, WA, Bumbershoot Festival
8 Portland, OR, Bagdad Theater
10 Baltimore, MD, Talking Head w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Lexie Mtn Boys
11 Philadelphia. PA, Johnny Brenda's w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
12 Monticello, NY, All Tomorrow's Parties
14 Hudson, NY, Jason's Upstairs**
15 Williamsport, PA, Site: B**
16 Ithaca, NY, Castaways**
17 Buffalo, NY, Mohawk Place**
18 London, ON, LOLA Festival
19 Detroit, MI, Magic Stick**
20 Louisville, KY, 21C Museum**

**with Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard + Slaraffenland

AK Returns to Europe Winter 2009

New Items Available in the AK Merch Store
AK OG MASK TEE plus
"Sun Will Shine" Tee, "ak/fam" headbands and album art pin pack
Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free Vinyl and Digi-pak CD
"Everyone Is Guilty" Seven-Inch (a few left!)
COMING SOON - "River" Limited Edition Seven-Inch

AK Around the Web
Japan Tour Photos
Amoeba Music Green Room Session
Spinning On Air
"Woody G" at Fader
This was fun

COMING SOON - The Woody Project

Akron/Family Facebook is live
MySpace is here and Official Site is here
AK Tweets here

Man Man - July 16, 2009 – East River Park – New York, NY

Man Man Announce Headlining Tour with Performances at Rothbury & 80/35 Festival
Fresh off of two wildly different but perfectly congruous tours with Cursive and Gogol Bordello – Man Man will be kicking off their very own headlining tour July 3rd at the Rothbury Festival. With stops scheduled at the 80/35 Music Fest and a free performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Studio -A-Rama’s 28th Anniversary event, the band is taking their brazenly boisterous live shows through the East Coast and Midwest.
The New York Times describes Man Man as a “delirious, scrapheap-eclectic Philadelphia outfit” that is known for a non-stop live set with a revolving door momentum of kaleidoscopic sound . The Aquarian further explains Man Man live as “a vaudevillian clash of sinfully delicate doo wop, virtuosic free jazz, heart-gripping, gut-crunching, intense punk rock energy, free flowing danceable funk, and above all, Eastern European tinged two step polka…love them or hate them, Man Man is a band you have to respect for their live show.”

Man Man Tour Dates:
July 10, 2009 – The Summit – Columbus, OH
July 11, 2009 – Forecastle Festival – Louisville, KY
July 13, 2009 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON
July 14, 2009 – The Tralf Music Hall – Buffalo, NY
July 15, 2009 – Daniel Street Club – Milford, CT
July 16, 2009 – East River Park – New York, NY

mewithoutYou, The Dear Hunter and Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground tonight NYC!!

Don't miss mewithoutYou, The Dear Hunter and Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground tonight at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. The doors open at 8, 18+, $15.

mewithoutYou

The Dear Hunter

Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground

mewithoutYou will be playing two NYC shows

mewithoutYou will be playing two NYC shows for their amazing new album, it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright. Produced by Daniel Smith (Danielson Familie) and Brian McTear (Mazarin, Matt Pond PA), it’s all crazy follows where the mwY’s last album, Brother, Sister, leaves off with a series of meditations on forgiveness, love, death, and the illusions of self. Frontman Aaron Weiss is deeply influenced by the writings of Sufi mystic Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, which inspired the album’s title and the much of the songs. It’s all Crazy! also finds mwY taking a creative leap from their post-rock beginnings to deliver a deftly arranged, orchestrated group of songs that work as a concept album. The vocals and music are reminiscent of post-rock Decemberists and a nod to Neutral Milk Hotel with creative arrangements that combine heavy instruments (tubas), horns, cellos, and an orchestra of guest musicians to create a dazzling storybook sound.

Further demonstrating mewithoutYou’s values are their lifestyle both on and off the road. The band tours in a 40-foot converted charter bus that uses vegetable oil waste as fuel. Frontman Aaron Weiss is a full-fledged freegan who only from waste food that has been discarded by supermarkets and restaurants. He owns very few possessions: no car, home, computer or cell phone. Any money he acquires goes to charities or to help family. His whole way of life is to minimally consume resources and to avoid materialism, values that are palpable in his songwriting.
For more information check out www.mewithoutyou.com or www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou.

Tour Dates:
Fri July 10 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Sat July 11 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
Sat Aug 15 - Lewisberry, PA @ Ski Roundtop

ROYAL BANGS’ SOPHOMORE ALBUM LET IT BEEP

ROYAL BANGS’ SOPHOMORE ALBUM
LET IT BEEP SET FOR RELEASE EARLY FALL 2009

ALBUM DUE OUT ON AUDIO EAGLE RECORDS,
LABEL STARTED BY PATRICK CARNEY OF THE BLACK KEYS

“It’s discoveries like Royal Bangs that make a late night…worthwhile.”–– Spin

In early Fall 2009, Knoxville, TN-based quintet Royal Bangs will release their highly-anticipated sophomore album Let It Beep on Audio Eagle Records (U.S.) and City Slang (Europe). The forthcoming album arrives on the heels of their self-released (and home-recorded) full-length debut We Breed Champions (2006), which caught the attention of Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. In May 2008, Carney reissued We Breed Champions on his own Audio Eagle Records. Royal Bangs will tour this fall in support of Let It Beep, opening for Carney’s new band Drummer (please see reverse).

Royal Bangs were founded by Ryan Schaefer, Chris Rusk and Sam Stratton. The trio took a brief hiatus prior to the reissue of their debut album—Schaefer spent a year in France soaking up musical inspiration for the follow-up—and later reconvened, rounding out their line-up as a five-piece with two additional members: Henry Gibson and Brandon Biondo. Nearly two years after the record’s initial release, Royal Bangs toured in support of We Breed Champions performing at Bonnaroo and SXSW in addition to opening for The Black Keys for a series of dates in Fall 2008.

The band recorded their sophomore effort Let It Beep at Tangerine Sound Studios in Akron, OH. The album was produced by Schaefer and engineered by Ben Vehorn (Love as Laughter). Let It Beep fuses two concepts: the electronic (thick synths and dance-y drum programming) and the pop/rock of the 1970s. Of the recording process, Schaefer says, “We were consulting a lot of 70s pop recordings for production ideas—Off The Wall-era Michael Jackson, the Bee Gees and Fleetwood Mac, among others…” Schaefer also cites Bruce Springsteen, Thin Lizzy and the Blade Runner soundtrack as primary influences.

ROYAL BANGS FALL TOUR DATES
OPENING FOR DRUMMER

October 8 Southpaw Brooklyn, NY

October 9 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, PA

October 10 Mercury Lounge New York, NY

October 11 T.T. the Bear’s Cambridge, MA

October 12 DC9 Washington, DC

October 13 The Ottobar Baltimore, MD

October 14 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC

October 15 The Pilot Light Knoxville, TN

October 16 The Earl Atlanta, GA

October 17 Mercy Lounge Nashville, TN

October 19 Skull Alley Louisville, KY

October 20 Spin Nightclub Indianapolis, IN

October 21 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI

October 22 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN

October 23 Schubas Tavern Chicago, IL

October 24 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH

CALIFONE’S ALL MY FRIENDS ARE FUNERAL SINGERS OCTOBER 6

DEAD OCEANS TO RELEASE CALIFONE’S ALL MY FRIENDS ARE FUNERAL SINGERS OCTOBER 6

“…gorgeously art-damaged roots-rock.”—The New York Times

“…a staggering homage to starts and finishes, computers and cornfields, dirty feet and throbbing foreheads.”—Pitchfork

Califone’s forthcoming album All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is set for release October 6 by Dead Oceans. The album marks the highly anticipated follow-up to 2006’s Roots & Crowns, which The New York Times calls “enthralling,” and Paste praises as “Acoustic Delta blues, back-porch Appalachia, folk-pop and syncopated funk marinate in futuristic sounds, like Mississippi John Hurt, Neil Young and Curtis Mayfield transported through Four Tet’s chop shop.”

The Chicago-based band consists of multi-instrumentalists Tim Rutili, Jim Becker, Joe Adamik, and Ben Masseralla. On All My Friends Are Funeral Singers the band employs a wide range of instrumentation and electronic effects to create a dense collage of sounds. Instruments range from the traditional (guitar, violin, banjo, percussion) to the unusual (optigan, stylophone, baritone ukulele, mbira, thumb piano).

Longtime collaborator and producer Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Gomez, Modest Mouse) says, “Tim’s songwriting on All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is my favorite yet. They have found a sound unlike anyone else, and are able to draw otherworldly sounds from very common instruments. It’s melodically inventive and economical and delivered with more detail and nuance than before.”

Primary songwriter and vocalist Tim Rutili, whose artistic endeavors stretch beyond music and include the creation of surreal short documentaries, music video and film scores, recently wrote and directed his first feature-length film. The screenplay for the film draws on the same themes and inspirations as the album, and many of the songs were written at the same time and contain the same images and characters. The film, also titled All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, will be submitted to film festivals early next year.

Califone will incorporate a full-length presentation of the film during their live performances, adding a new element to the band’s live show. Nationwide tour dates will be confirmed shortly.

DRUMMER FEATURES PATRICK CARNEY OF THE BLACK KEYS

DRUMMER’S DEBUT ALBUM FEEL GOOD TOGETHER SET FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 29 ON AUDIO EAGLE

BAND FEATURES PATRICK CARNEY OF THE BLACK KEYS
Drummer, the new band featuring Patrick Carney, drummer for the critically acclaimed duo The Black Keys, is poised for the release of their debut album, Feel Good Together. The album is set for release September 29 on Carney’s label, Audio Eagle. Carney, who plays bass for the group, joins up with four long time friends—all Ohio-based drummers—to bring the project to life. Drummer is rounded out by: Jamie Stillman of Teeth of the Hydra, formerly of Party of Helicopters (guitar), Jon Finley of Beaten Awake, also formerly of Party of Helicopters (vocals, guitar), Stephen Clements of Houseguest and Six Parts Seven (keys, vocals) and Greg Boyd of Ghostman and Sandman (drums). The band will embark on a fall tour in support of the new album. Please see reverse for a full list of dates and for more information about the band, please visit: www.myspace.com/drummertheband

Drummer took shape in early 2009 with one goal in mind—to have a good time. Carney says of the band’s incarnation, “We started playing together in February and within two months, we had a whole record. We have all been friends for a long time and decided that our time would be better spent making music than making snowmen and watching YouTube.” Feel Good Together was recorded and mixed in Akron, OH by Ben Vehorn (Love as Laughter) at his studio Tangerine Sound.

With his Black Keys bandmate Dan Auerbach, Carney has recorded five critically acclaimed full-length albums, beginning with 2002’s The Big Come Up. Feel Good Together arrives on the heels of The Black Keys’ 2008 album, Attack & Release, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #14, marking the band’s highest position to date. The album earned praise from The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, which called it a “savage, bitter concoction built on a snarling punk-rock riff.” Carney has also been busy with Audio Eagle, which has recently released material from the Royal Bangs and Other Girls.

DRUMMER FALL TOUR DATES *with The Royal Bangs †with Other Girls

October 8 Southpaw* Brooklyn, NY

October 9 Johnny Brenda’s* Philadelphia, PA

October 10 Mercury Lounge* New York, NY

October 11 T.T. the Bear’s* Cambridge, MA

October 12 DC9* Washington, DC

October 13 The Ottobar* Baltimore, MD

October 14 Local 506* Chapel Hill, NC

October 15 The Pilot Light* Knoxville, TN

October 16 The Earl* Atlanta, GA

October 17 Mercy Lounge* Nashville, TN

October 19 Skull Alley* Louisville, KY

October 20 Spin Nightclub* Indianapolis, IN

October 21 High Noon Saloon* Madison, WI

October 22 7th Street Entry* Minneapolis, MN

October 23 Schubas Tavern* Chicago, IL

October 24 Beachland Ballroom*† Cleveland, OH

DANKO JONES are ready to invade the U.S. with the release of NEVER TOO LOUD

DANKO JONES HARD ROCK TRIO TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM ‘NEVER TOO LOUD’ SEPTEMBER 8 VIA BAD TASTE RECORDS/CAROLINE FALL U.S. TOUR ON TAP

DANKO JONES are ready to invade the U.S. with the release of NEVER TOO LOUD, their brand new studio album, out September 8 via Bad Taste Records/Caroline.

Hailing from Toronto, the group--DANKO JONES (lead vocals/guitars), JOHN CALABRESE (bass), DAN CORNELIUS (drums)--teamed with Grammy award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters, Coheed & Cambria, Stone Sour, Velvet Revolver) and recorded NEVER TOO LOUD at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Los Angeles. Ted Jensen (Green Day, REM) came onboard for mastering duties. “We really wanted to step it up sonically on this album, and Nick was the perfect guy for that,” explains DANKO JONES, the band’s lead singer and guitarist.
“There’s something to be said for the bands that stick to the story, Motorhead, AC/DC, Slayer, The Ramones, they’re the ones who have survived,” he adds. “We know who we are, but we upped the ante and experimented with varied styles of hard rock on this album.”
The group tapped John Garcia of Kyuss fame and punk legend Pete Stahl (Wool Scream, Goatsnake) for the six-minute Sabbath-influenced epic “Forest For The Trees.” From first single and album opener “Code of the Road,” to the infectious melodies of “City Streets,” to the Bon Scott-channeling title track, NEVER TOO LOUD showcases the group’s adrenalized, raucous garage rock that encompasses everything that’s fun about hard rock past and present.
Over the past five years, DANKO JONES have achieved hard rock hero status in Europe. The group’s no-holds-barred performance style has made them beloved fixtures on the European festival circuit (Lowlands, Rock Im Park, Rock Am Ring, Wacken Open Air, Rock Werchter, Hultsfred, Leeds and Reading), which has helped the group achieve high chart positions (including a Top 10 position in the Swedish sales charts) and strong record sales across the continent. The trio has gained recognition of like-minded music luminaries, with the Raconteurs covering their song “Samuel Sin,” being handpicked by the legendary Motorhead to join them on tour and opening for The Rolling Stones in their hometown of Toronto. DANKO JONES’ career now spans three U.S. album releases--including the previous We Sweat Blood 2005 and Sleep Is The Enemy 2006 (both on Razor & Tie)--as well as multiple Juno Award nominations.
Look for DANKO JONES to announce a major Fall U.S. tour soon.

The complete track listing for NEVER TOO LOUD is as follows:

1) Code of the Road
2) City Streets
3) Still In High School
4) Take Me Home
5) Let’s Get Undressed
6) King Of Magazines
7) Forest For The Trees
8) Your Tears My Smile
9) Something Better
10) Ravenous
11) Never Too Loud
12) *My Problems (Are Your Problems Now)
13) *Sugar High
14) *R.I.P. RFTC
*U.S. only bonus tracks.

www.dankojones.com

www.myspace.com/dankojones