New York Groove

Islands - "A Sleep & A Forgetting" out Feb 14 on Anti-

2012-01-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Islands are quite an aptly named band: you can almost picture lead singer Nicholas Thorburn strumming a ukulele with his feet in the sand...

Most of Island's fourth record is not thrilling, but nice. Mellow to the point of sleepy. They're more interesting when they step out of their comfort zone: the poppy "Never Go Solo" had a bit of a Jellyfish ring to it, and the spacey "Same Thing" is a solid album closer.

A Sleep and a Forgetting was apparently written about a difficult breakup for Thorburn, which can often be songwriting gold. But with Islands, I'm just not

feeling the despair or urgency... - CR

Dr Dog - "Be The Void" out Feb 7 on Anti-

2012-01-10T17:52:00.001-08:00

Dr. Dog - Prospect Park -2009

Dr. Dog. - Be The Void

I had a really hard time writing this review. Granted, I'm still pretty new at this whole "music criticism" thing, relatively speaking. I'm not exactly a seasoned veteran, or even an experienced Padawan; I have a long way to go before reaching Jedi Critic status. I'm learning as I go, picking up neat tricks of the Force here and there, moving words with my mind as prompted by the music.

Still, when I was presented with the opportunity to get an early listen to "Be The Void" and write some words about it, I thought it would be pretty easy, for reasons that seem silly now. See, I'm not only a long time fan of the band, but I'm also a musician, and I worked on an album in the very same Philadelphia studio where Dr. Dog was cutting tracks, for a time. None of this really has much to do with "Be The Void", but I was deceiving myself when I thought that writing about it would be easy because of all these things.

It made everything so, so complicated.

Dr. Dog - Williamsburg Waterfront 2011

"Be The Void" is a sincere, lyrically diverse, occasionally anthemic, and beautifully flawed rock-'n-roll record. It's not perfect, and it's not supposed to be, and even if it were perfect, what the hell would that sound like? No, it's got some issues, but having listened to it about 10 times now, I can say that those issues are extremely minor.

This record is about as great as a record can be, given the circumstances.

Those circumstances are... complicated. Dr. Dog is a band that many feel was strongest in its heady youth, making lo-fi jams reminiscient of everyone's favorite proto-indie songwriters. Then they got noticed, and things changed. There was polish, attention to detail, and (depending on who you spoke to) a drop-off in song craft.

Dr. Dog - Williamsburg Waterfront 2011

Personally, I liked the songs on "Fate" and "Shame, Shame." Solid writing, both lyrically and soncially. Did I love them? Harder question to answer. A few of them defintiely resonated with me (especially on the latter album) but at the end of each album, I was always left with a sense of want. What I wanted, looking back, was more of the joyous, groove-driven songs that were prevalent on the pre-polish Dr. Dog albums. I wanted them to hook me a little harder.

"Be The Void" is not lacking in the hook department. Nearly every song on the record pops at the listener. I really don't want to use the word "infectious" but it's getting to that point.

The first time I listened to the album, I thought it was too long. At twelve tracks and about forty-eight mintues, it's really not that long. It felt long. I thought that was a flaw of the album. It's not. The songs felt like they're longer than they are because my brain wanted them to last forever. I don't remember the last time an album had that effect on me.

Dr. Dog - Terminal 5 - 2010

Seriously, I was ready to write a review in which I came down hard on this album for "feeling too long." What does that even mean?

At first, I think it was just an issue of track order. The album starts strong and ends strong. In the middle there are strong tracks that I may have thought were out-of-order, but upon further listenings, I discovered I just had to open my ears, and mind, just a little bit. The pacing of the album really is more than okay.

There are strong strains of all kinds of music on these tracks. There's a fair amount of soul, a hefty portion of doo-wop, and generous servings of psych-rock. There is a Yeasayer-type song, synths and all, but with more attention. There is bluegrass and folk and old-time. These guys really know how to run the gamut. It's extremely rich in flavor, this album.

Dr. Dog - Terminal 5 - 2011

It also sounds great. Like, the guitars are rich and beautiful, and the bass is powerful when called upon, and the drums are damn near perfect. It's engineered, mixed, and mastered to perfection. I don't think there was a moment during the whole thing when I thought, "This couldn't be what the band wanted this song to sound like." All of the intent, the emotion, the lyrical meaning, is out there, laid bare for the listener.

Which is a pretty daring move, in a way. A lot of bands hide behind effects, reverb and delay, noise and distortion. Dr. Dog isn't interested in obscuring a single lyric, or muddling any of their musical intentions. What you hear is what they wanted you to hear. I applaud them for that.

Sometimes the songs get a little distracted with themselves; they wander off in directions that don't seem to make sense at first. I don't want to give any specific examples, but I will say that for the most part, the songs end up in the right place. I just wasn't really sure how they got there. And you know what? I'm okay with that.

Dr. Dog - Prospect Park - 2009

So I'm just going to come right out and say it: "Be The Void" is the Dr. Dog album that you and I, and everyone who likes this band as much as you and I do, have been waiting for. It's the album, guys. It's here. Prepare your headphones, buy new speakers, get ready to write fan mail. Save money for concert tickets, and tell your friends. You're gonna fall in love all over again.

-DH

Dr. Dog - Williamsburg Waterfront 2011

The Sheepdogs - Irving Plaza, Oct. 12, 2011

2011-10-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Sheepdogs at Irving Plaza

It's not often to walk into Irving Plaza to find, of all things, an open bar. Indeed, for such a large crowd, such indulgences are a rarity, especially these days. Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised last week when I walked in to the Rolling Stone-sponsored event and was greeted with free beer.

All of this is to say that, by the time the music was set to begin, I was in quite a good mood, both from the beer and the fact that my wallet would remain full. I was, you might say, in the mood for rock.

Rolling Stone had invited two great acts to entertain those of us lucky enough to be there, and I can't stress enough that the first act on the bill, a southern-rock outfit from Saskatchewan known as The Sheepdogs, did not fail to deliver on their intent to rock. Apparently, they were band that came out on top of a popular vote, a "Choose the Cover" competition that ran this summer. These four dudes, decked out in true southen rock fashion, had their images plastered on the cover of America's favorite music magazine. I would have known this prior to the show if I was a subscriber to that particular publication. Guess I'm missing out!

The people have spoken about the Sheepdogs, it looks like, and while I might be one to question the judgment of large groups of people, in this instance they were on the money. The Sheepdogs' set was groovy. I write the word lightly, but I mean it and believe in its essence. Their grooves were almost visible; their aura was pure calm. Confidence is a virtue in this business, and these guys have the confidence to get up on stage and play live rock 'n roll at tempos slower than the average person would think wise.

Seriously, in this day and age, everyone tends to rush their rockingest songs. Who wants to go to a rock show and hear slow music? Right? So with the exception of the occasional power ballad, live versions of songs tend to be speedy, maybe even rushed. This was not the case with the Sheepdogs. I went home and listened to their most recent EP, "Five Easy Pieces," and was confirmed in my suspicions that they were playing their songs live at the same tempo that they had laid down on the record! Imagine my surprise. Can you, even?

Okay, so I wasn't that surprised, but I will say that I was pleased. It's not like their set suffered in the least. These guys can shred, and do so in the spirit of the great ones: The Allmans, Skynyrd. They even had a hint of 70s rock, a little Steely Dan perhaps? Their song "How Late, How Long," was a particular favorite of mine. Great riff, great harmonies. Lead singer and guitarist Ewen Currie has a clear and firm voice, well suited for this kind of music. Both he and guitarist Leot Hanses had confidence in their technique and took great solos. Ryan Gullen on bass and Sam Corbett on drums were rock solid in their holding down of the aforementioned grooves.

By the end of the set, the people were dancing. That makes it twice that the will of the people has been spot-on. I congratulate the collective unconscious of my fellow music fans, and will now learn to listen, sometimes, to things I read in Rolling Stone.

THE FLAMING LIPS READY RELEASE OF 6 HOUR SONG ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO LOCAL OKLAHOMA FOUNDATIONS

2011-10-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

THE LIPS PRESENT THE STROBO TRIP TOY IN CONJUNCTION WITH

"Found A Star On The Ground"

24 HOUR LONG SONG IN THE WORKS

October 3, 2011 - (Burbank, CA) - THE FLAMING LIPS have recorded a brand new song titled "Found A Star On The Ground," which is undoubtedly the longest single piece of music ever recorded clocking in at a generous 360 minutes. That's six hours of continuous psychedeliscized music with a view to raise 100% of the proceeds to benefit local Oklahoma concerns: The Central Oklahoma Humane Society and The Academy of Contemporary Music at The University of Central Oklahoma. Much has already been outlined in the press but the official details can finally be revealed.

"Found A Star On The Ground," began as possible 25 minute opus but as the band actually began the recording process in Steven Drozd' home studio in Oklahoma City, the ideas began to flow well beyond all scope of epic proportions as one might expect from THE LIPS. A few days of recording blurred into a 4 week off and on process in-between regional and International concert appearances.

It became apparent to the band that this would be the perfect vehicle to foster a charitable component to raise and benefit local foundations that have been close to the hearts of the band for the past several years. The idea arose that THE LIPS could reach out to their fans via their official website and Wayne's by now famous personal Twitter following. For a donation of $100- fans would have their name appear somewhere in the song and feel good about contributing to a pair of worthy causes the band could share with their fans. Sean Lennon recently recorded the long list contributors' names to the recording.

The song itself will be contained within a newly-developed mesmerizing toy, THE STROBO TRIP. This unique devise has been called "A Light & Audio Phase Illusions Toy" to use used in conjunction with "Found A Star On The Ground" to create a complete Lipsian happening to be enjoyed by yourself or with other interesting people or pets. Honestly users, you'll just have to experience this multi-sensory phenomenon for yourselves to understand the concept.

Coyne says, "THE STROBO TRIP by itself is fascinating. I wouldn't be a surprised to hear about some people taking LSD or something, while listening to "Found A Star On The Ground," and playing with THE STROBO TRIP for hours and hours. We hope you'll enjoy them anyway you like."

If a single 6-hour-long song weren't enough, THE STROBO TRIP will also contain two more brand new -and much shorter) songs.

THE STROBO TRIP Track listing:

1. Butterfly, How Long It Takes To Die
2. Found A Star On The Ground
3. Evil Minds

The STROBO TRIP will be available shortly.Keep an eye on www.flaminglips.com for details as they become available.

To date, THE LIPS have raised approximately $20,000 in proceeds from this project to be split equally between The Central Oklahoma Humane Society and The Academy of Contemporary Music at The University of Central Oklahoma. Coyne explains "The homeless animal situation in Oklahoma City is at an all-time high - the worst I've ever seen. A lot of animals are suffering and need help. It's all about being aware of this problem and just one way we can make an immediate impact now for The Central Oklahoma Humane Society. The Flaming Lips love all creatures - it's always been part of our philosophy." As for The Academy of Contemporary Music at The University of Central Oklahoma, Coyne adds, "When we were a young band starting out, we didn't have any kind of outlet to help us make necessary connections. This school helps provide the students with a connection to all aspects of a supportive music community. As technology progresses, this is a way for us to help provide the students with upgraded computers and equipment which as you know becomes obsolete quickly. They need to up to date to keep up with that progression to fuel their ideas in all areas in the creation and knowledge of music and art of music making."

THE FLAMING LIPS are currently on tour:

Oct 24 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre w/Kurt Vile
Oct 25 - Rochester, NY @ Main Street Armory w/Kurt Vile
Oct 27 - Norfolk, VA @ The Norva w/Kurt Vile
Oct 28 - North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Performing Arts Center
Oct 29 - Asheville, NC @ Moogfest
Nov 12 - Melbourne, Australia @ Harvest Festival w/Portishead, The National, Bright Eyes & more
Nov 13 - Sydney, Australia @ Harvest Festival w/Portishead, The National, Bright Eyes & more
Nov 16 - Adelaide, Australia @ Thebarton Theatre
Nov 17 - Melbourne, Australia @ The Palace Theatre
Nov 19 - Brisbane, Australia @ Harvest Festival w/Portishead, The National, Bright Eyes & more

In between touring, THE LIPS will continue to record new music to come in various unique formats to be released in the coming months. At this time we can confirm the rumors of a single 24-hour-long song are indeed insane and absolutely true. THE LIPS are recording the track this month. While lots rumors, speculations and "facts" have been circulating suffice to say official details will be announced once we really know how, when etc. Stay tuned towww.flaminglips.com for details.

About The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma:

The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) is more than a music school, it's a connection. UCO has teamed up with the ACM of London to offer a music education that really is all about the music. Students are taught by accomplished musicians, production experts, and music business professionals, people who have been there. Not only that, but students will also receive master class instruction from some of today's stars from the world of rock, pop, gospel and country music such as Roger Daltrey and Jackson Browne. Through ACM@UCO, students will connect to the music industry through auditions, live performances, industry showcases, as well as a web-based database of talent. At ACM@UCO, our focus is on building the careers of our talented students through preparation and exposure. More info at ACM-UCO.com!

www.flaminglips.com

http://www.okhumane.org/

http://acm-uco.com/

TV On The Radio, Broken Social Scene; Williamsburg Waterfront, September 8th 2011

2011-09-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

Canadian band Broken Social Scene joined Brooklyn-based rockers TV on the Radio for an excellent night of music at the always-beautiful East River State Park in Williamsburg. A light misting of rain did not deter the sold-out crowd in the least, and spirits were high for the smart double-bill, a home court show for TV on the Radio and one of the last shows (for the moment, at least) for Broken Social Scene in New York City.

Broken Social Scene is known for bringing out a small army for their live shows, and last night was no exception. At various points during their set, I counted three guitarists, a bass that made its way around the band, two auxiliary percussionists, a few synths that were also touched by many hands, and something like five horn players: three big saxes, a trombone, and a trumpet. Oh, and one of the guitarists picked up a cornet, more than once. Versatility was a theme of the evening for sure.

It's no joke, hopping around on instruments like that. There is a reason that more bands don't do it at their shows, and that reason is that it's HARD. Bad things can happen on stage when too many people are moving around. As a longtime fan of the band but first time audience member, I was pleased to see that this relative difficulty did not deter them from being the aggressive multi-instrumentalists that they are at heart. Sometimes, playing one instrument the whole show just gets boring.

The band played a very good set to a receptive crowd. They were "opening" but you couldn't tell from their stage demeanor or their sound. They were fully invested in the show and it was clear that the crowd appreciated it. The setlist consisted of a nice selection from their broad catalog, including a Modest Mouse cover and even a brand new song. The horn section was tight and the arrangements were tasteful and effective. Even thought the group, in various forms, has been doing it for years, it felt new and unpredictable.

The same could be said for TV on the Radio. Their set was extremely high energy, and sonically thrilling. Though they refrained from too much instrument hopping, they were stellar nonetheless. The band has certainly evolved over the years in their recorded output, and though the setlist mostly contained cuts from "Dear Science" and "Nine Types of Light," it was clear that they were interested in showcasing their stylistic diversity. They did include "Staring at the Sun," a song from 2003 that was nice to hear live.

The musicianship was as good as you'd expect it to be from a group of consummate professionals like TVOTR. Dave Sitek's guitar work was phenomenal, and Tunde Adebimpe's vocals were clear and bright. Kip Malone has a surprisingly effective falsetto range, and is always impressive on guitar. And as sad as it was that Gerard Smith was absent from the stage, the band dedicated a song (among other things) to the memory of their former bass player, and at no time did it seem that they lacked sincerity.

One of the high points of the entire show was the lighting, which was an excellent mixture of rhythmic design and colorful variety. It was good to see Williamsburg Waterfront utilize their excellent stage and lighting setup, and it really contributed to the the overall enjoyability of the show. Sadly, the sound did not quite live up to the visuals, and I was often left wondering why the bass and kick were drowning out much of the middle register of both acts. A shame, considering how much beautiful mid-range content both bands put in to their songs. It was disappointing, if only for the fact that I heard better sound design last week at the same venue.

Despite that minor setback, it was an excellent show, and it was especially nice to be part of an enthusiastic crowd that was with both bands for the duration of their sets. Fans definitely got their money's worth, and it seemed to me that everyone left pretty happy about the whole thing. It's a nice feeling, isn't it? Doesn't always work out that way. Let's hope for more shows like it in the future.

BSS photo credit - Norman Wong, TVotR - Nine Types Of Light cover art.

Bright Eyes, Dr Dog & Real Estate played Brooklyn's Williamsburg Waterfront.

2011-09-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Bright Eyes - Conor Oberst

Williamsburg Waterfront at East River State Park, home to some of the summer's biggest ticketed and free live shows, logged another solidly successful evening of music in the books this past Wednesday with the eclectic combination of Bright Eyes, Dr. Dog, and Real Estate. At first, these three bands seemed like odd choices to fill a bill, as they all bring a different brand of sound and songwriting to the table, but as the evening progressed, it became evident that the bands' differences were indeed the strength of the evening.

This reviewer wants to avoid making generalizations of any kind about the fans of specific bands that bought tickets for this show. That being said, it seems unreasonable (in these thrifty times) to spend forty-plus dollars on a ticket to just see the headliner. Those music appreciators who only made an appearance for Bright Eyes missed out on two solid sets of music, one of which bordered on the brilliant and made the evening well worth the price of admission before Conor Oberst even had a chance to set foot on stage.

Real Estate - Martin Courtney

Real Estate - Alex Bleeker

Real Estate, New Jersey's indie surf-rock darlings, made the most of their opening slot, filling their short set with aural energy. The band was tight, and the (relatively) thin crowd that was planted in front of the stage showed their appreciation for the ensemble effort to make the songs pop. It can be hard for a band to bring significant amounts of energy for an daytime opening slot in the great outdoors, and while one could make the argument that the band appeared listless, this reviewer thinks that they should not be faulted for putting on a sonically pleasing set and leaving the theatrics for the bands on deck.

Dr Dog - Toby Leaman

Dr Dog - Scott Mc Micken

All of which brings us to Dr. Dog, and quite possibly one of the best sets of the summer season. The sun was still shining brightly when the band took the stage, but they immediately set an aggressive and highly energetic tone for their (unfortunately short) set of songs. They played a balanced and thoughtfully arranged selection of songs from "Shame, Shame" and "Fate," their two most recent full lengths, and they played these songs with gusto and precision. Downtime was kept to a minimum, and they managed to play an impressive number of songs in forty-five minutes, even squeezing in an encore of "Heart It Races," their version of the Architecture in Helsinki song that is always a pleasure to hear live. In short, they played the hits, and didn't really stray too far from them, but that simply did not matter. They were, for the entire set, a pure pleasure to watch. This reviewer hesitates to name another band that is capable of that kind of commendable artistry in an opening slot.

Bright Eyes - Conor Oberst

Bright Eyes capped off the evening with a set of songs that was marked by inconsistencies and left the audience pleased but wanting. The band started strong, with frontman Oberst delivering his idiosyncratic lyrics with his trademark vocal delivery. The rest of the band was quite entertaining as well, and they displayed a remarkable amount of versatility, given Mr. Oberst's tendency to write songs in any style that he wants. The other two core members of the band, lead guitarist Mike Mogis and pianist/trumpter Nate Walcott, were consistently impressive throughout the set, and the band was rounded out by excellent percussionists and a synth player.

They drove hard and hit some great numbers in the first half of the set, but things took a turn for the strange about halfway through, with Oberst calling out a song that the rest of the band didn't particularly want to play and was followed by the band and Oberst playing and singing the song rather poorly, drawing it out a few minutes too many. After that, the energy of the set seemed to wane, but things were picked up again as the band closed things out. The best moments of the set were when Oberst and the band played their uptempo, pop-oriented numbers, and when Oberst got to show off his considerable stage presence. Overall, a very enjoyable set. - DH

Photos by Greg Jacquin

Words by Dylan Hume

Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing available September 13, 2011 on Sub Pop.

2011-09-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a review of Blitzen Trapper's "American Goldwing" written by Dylan Hume. Band photo by Tyler Kohlhoff.

I want to put it all on the table. I really like Blitzen Trapper. I really like their albums, and I really like their live performances. So it shouldn't be surprising when I tell you that I really like their newest album, "American Goldwing." But I'm also supposed to be thinking critically about music, right? I mean, right. This is a review. So let me be clear: "American Goldwing" is not Blitzen Trapper's best album. Not even close. It may not even be top three.

Does that mean I don't like it? No. Certainly not. But for a band that has put out four records in five years on a big indie label, their musical evolution seems to be, and I want to be careful about how I use this word here, stagnating.

The album starts strong, and is spotty throughout. Some of the uptempo rockers give you that tingling feeling, like the one you got when you heard "Destroyer of the Void" for the first time. Some of the slower, folkier tunes are pleasantly reminiscent of "Furr." In fact, there wasn't really a moment on the record when I wasn't reminded of one of their old records, which, given how good their older records are, isn't really a condemnation of the band. But it does speak to some nebulous flaw, some missing creative enzyme. I wanted something a little bit (just a little bit) new.

Blitzen Trapper's seemingly effortless blend of several distinct tropes from country, rock and folk music suggest that the band is comprised of individuals who are careful listeners and dedicated fans of those artists who first recognized the potential that lay within blurring the lines of genre. I hate to say "You know who I'm talking about," but if you don't know who I'm talking about, you probably shouldn't be listening to Blitzen Trapper in the first place. It is great music if you like other, older great music.

Luckily for me, I love great music, and Blitzen Trapper makes great music. The album is full of great songwriting, period. Lyrically, it's as good as it's ever been, maybe even better than "Furr," which I regard as a high point of lyricism for the entirety of 2008, and not just for Blitzen Trapper.

The album is also full of great musicianship and production. Everything sounds crisp, the band sounds tight. The cuts sound live, more or less, with the exception of a few moments of studio indulgence by the band. These guys are purists. They wouldn't be making these kinds of records if they weren't, and I respect them for it.

But I can't forgive the album for its inconsistencies. These guys are really comfortable making this kind of music. And they've made a lot of it in recent years, and I can't ever see myself telling them to stop. I just happen to think artists should be more comfortable with doing something different. I know I'm probably in the minority here.  I'm going to go listen to the album again, all the while hoping that I'm wrong. - DH

American Goldwing Tracks:

Might Find It Cheap Fletcher Love the Way You Walk Away Your Crying Eyes My Home Town Girl In a Coat American Goldwing Astronaut Taking It Easy Too Long Street Fighting Sun Stranger In a Strange Land

Tour:

Friday, September 9, 2011  Crystal Ballroom, Portland OR Music Fest North West

Monday, September 12, 2011  Music Millennium, Portland OR in-store @ 8PM!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011  Easy Street (Queen Anne), Seattle WA in-store 7PM!!

Friday, October 7, 2011  Mystic Theater, Petaluma CA w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Saturday, October 8, 2011  Soho Restaurant & Music Club, Santa Barbara CA w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Sunday, October 9, 2011  Belly Up, Solana Beach CA w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Monday, October 10, 2011  Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix AZ w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Tuesday, October 11, 2011  Sol Santa Fe, Santa Fe NM w/Smoke Fairies & Dawes

Thursday, October 13, 2011  Club Dada, Dallas TX w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Friday, October 14, 2011  UTOPIAfest, Utopia TX

Saturday, October 15, 2011  Manship Theatre, Baton Rouge LA w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Sunday, October 16, 2011  Bottle Tree, Birmingham AL w/ Smoke Fairies

Tuesday, October 18, 2011  Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Wednesday, October 19, 2011  Mercy Lounge, Nashville TN w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Thursday, October 20, 2011  Headliner's Music Hall, Louisville KY w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Friday, October 21, 2011  Orange Peel, Asheville NC w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Saturday, October 22, 2011  Cats Cradle, Carrboro NC w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Monday, October 24, 2011  Black Cat, Washington DC w/ Smoke Fairies & Dawes

Wednesday, October 26, 2011  Webster Hall, New York City NY w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Thursday, October 27, 2011  Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia PA w/ Dawes & Smoke Fairies

Friday, October 28, 2011  Royale (MA), Boston MA w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Saturday, October 29, 2011  Mohawk Place, Buffalo NY w/ The Belle Brigade All Ages!

Sunday, October 30, 2011  Opera House (ON), Toronto Ontario w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Tuesday, November 1, 2011  Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland OH w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Wednesday, November 2, 2011  Calvin College Fine Arts Center, Grand Rapids MI w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Thursday, November 3, 2011  Metro, Chicago IL w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Thursday, November 3, 2011  Reckless Records (Broadway), Chicago IL In-Store! @ 6PM

Friday, November 4, 2011  First Avenue, Minneapolis MN w/ Dawes

Saturday, November 5, 2011  Turner Hall, Milwaukee WI w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Monday, November 7, 2011  Fox Theater (CO), Boulder CO w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Thursday, November 10, 2011  Rickshaw Theater (BC), Vancouver Canada w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Friday, November 11, 2011  Neptune Theatre, Seattle WA w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Sunday, November 13, 2011  McDonald Theatre, Eugene OR w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

Tuesday, November 15, 2011  Fillmore, The (SF), San Francisco CA w/ Dawes & Belle Brigade

www.blitzentrapper.net www.facebook.com/blitzentrapper http://twitter.com/blitzentrapper

Endless Now by Male Bonding out today, Aug 29

2011-08-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

Endless Now by Male Bonding out today, Aug 29

Additional North American Shows Announced

Male Bonding are a noise-pop trio from London. The band’s debut record, Nothing Hurts, was described by Pitchfork as, “…the sound of a fast, fuzzy rock band racing from hook to hook, plowing happily through breakdowns and guitar blasts, springing through scrappy melodies with style. It’s one of the happiest surprises of the year so far.” Today, August 29th, their second effort, Endless Now, is officially available for your purchasing pleasure. Click here to stream the bands new record in its entirety. If you purchase Endless Now, via Subpop.com you will receive a limited edition Male Bonding designed patch. Head over to Subpop.com, and purchase this ripper.

 Due to Hurricane Irene, Male Bonding had to cancel their Philadelphia show on Sunday August 28 and moved/reschedule their Brooklyn gig for tomorrow, Tuesday Aug 30, which is now at the Cameo Gallery (previously at Glasslands.) Those of you who reside on the West Coast will be happy to know that the band has announced additional shows on your side of this great nation. See below for a full list of dates. For more information on Male Bonding please visit: www.subpop.com/artists/male_bonding

 MP3- Bones

MP3- Tame the Sun

Video-Tame the Sun 

Video- Bones 

Video-Before It’s Gone 

Video- What’s That Scene? 

Video- Can’t Dream  

 Male Bonding Tour Dates:  

Aug 29 Mercury Lounge, New York NY  

Aug 30 Cameo Gallery, Brooklyn NY

Aug 31 Brighton Music Hall, Boston MA  

Sep 01 lI Motore, Montreal, QE  

Sep 02 Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON  

Sep 03 Magic Stick Lounge, Detroit, MI  

Sep 08 Subtereanean, Chicago, IL  

Sep10 Red Palace, Washington, DC 

Oct 21 Media Club, Vancouver, Canada  

Oct 22 Chop Suey, Seattle, WA  

Oct 23 Bunk Bar, Portland, OR

 Oct 25 Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA  

Oct 29 Satellite (CA), Los Angeles, CA  

St Vincent on The Late Show With David Letterman tonight.

2011-08-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

A note from Annie:

Hey Everybody -

I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be performing "Cruel" on the Late Show tonight.

Late Show with David Letterman

Monday, August 29th

11:35PM/10:35PM Central

CBS-TV

http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/

Be sure to tune in!

X ac.

Tina Tyrell - Photos

CASS MCCOMBS TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM, HUMOR RISK, NOVEMBER 8, 2011 LISTEN TO/DOWNLOAD HUMOR RISK’S “THE SAME THING”

2011-08-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that the prolific Cass McCombs is to release his second album this year, Humor Risk, on November 8, 2011.

You can listen to and download the album track, “The Same Thing,” here: http://www.dominorecordco.com/cassmccombshumorrisk

Humor Risk was recorded in various homes and studios in California, New York, New Jersey and Chicago, and was produced by Cass McCombs and Ariel Rechtshaid, with whom he created WIT’S END, and before that, CATACOMBS.

Humor Risk is an attempt at laughter instead of confusion, chaos instead of morality, or, as fellow Northern Californian Jack London said, “I would rather be ashes than dust!”. Musically, it is more rhythm-based, tempos swifter to nearly rocking, than the sparse WIT’S END. Infectious melodies are outlined by a wry lyricism that expresses the stories of characters from McCombs’ native land. Rather than fulfilling the stereotype of the confessional singer-songwriter, he describes the lifestyles and feelings of those that surround him, with more love than judgment: drugs, Scientology, Western America, and so on, in allegorical form. Humor Risk portrays yet another façade of this versatile, incredibly talented and much underrated artist.

Humor Risk will be available on CD, LP and digitally.

To pre-order the album, click here: http://www.dominorecordco.com/humorrisk

The tracklisting for Humor Risk is as follows:

1. Love Thine Enemy

2. The Living Word

3. The Same Thing

4. To Every Man His Chimera

5. Robin Egg Blue

6. Mystery Mail

7. Meet Me At the Mannequin Gallery

8. Mariah (sketch)

What’s been said about WIT’S END:

“what might be his best LP yet . . . a gorgeous album of despair, the most believable evidence yet that McCombs is living up to his own legend” -- Pitchfork [Best New Music]

*****

“Songs so unassuming they sneak up and slay you” -- SPIN

*****

“’Buried Alive,’ and parts of ‘Saturday Song’ and ‘Memory’s Stain’ — creepy-lovely processionals held together with major-minor movement — could go up against anything in pop so far this year.” – The New York Times

*****

“On Wit’s End, he places both himself and the entire singer-songwriter tradition on trial, his personal salvation dependent solely on the purity of personal expression. Clearly, as an artist, he is not making any compromises. He’s not coming home any time soon. But McCombs is making music as if his soul depended on it.” – Tiny Mix Tapes

http://www.dominorecordco.us/artists/cass-mccombs

http://www.cassmccombs.com/

Sufjan Stevens plays Prospect Park

2011-08-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sufjan Stevens, Live at the Prospect Park Bandshell, August 2nd 2011

By Dylan Hume

Sufjans Stevens and his band played to a sold-out crowd at the Prospect Park Bandshell Tuesday night. The show, one of the few ticketed events at the bandshell this summer, was a fundraiser for BRIC Arts, the organization that runs the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival, now in it's 33rd summer season.

The Brooklyn vibe was palpable, to say the least. At one point during his set, Sufjan gestured vaguely eastward, saying, "I live right over there." He wasn't the only one, and the hometown energy of the crowd fed the band as they progressed through their set.

Stevens is known for his lush orchestrations, and last night they were on full display, but the band was impressive in its economy. The ensemble was not too big, and filled out by a complement of two trombonists, two flautists, and two drummers, along with a few other instrumentalists, backup singers, and Sufjan, of course, on guitar and synth. That a band of that (relativiely) moderate size could make such a big sound was remarkable, as was their dynamic range and unfailing precision.

Even more remarkable was the visual aspect of the show. Stevens is a dedicated artist, taking painstaking steps to make sure that every part of his performance is in line with his concepts. The lighting and the artwork displayed on the stage were incredible in scope and meticulous in execution.

Most of songs on Tuesday were from Stevens' 2010 album, "The Age of Adz," which was partly inspired by the work of visual artist Royal Robertson. Stevens gave an homage to Robertson before proceeding with a tremendous visual display of beautiful and haunting projections during "Get Real Get Right." As the show came to its climax during the epic closing number, "Impossible Soul," Stevens appeared on stage wearing suit made primarily from balloons as dozens of enormous, translucent beach balls flooded the audience and four tall, brightly-colored flailing-arm inflatable tube men popped up from nowhere. It might have been overwhelming, if it wasn't so captivating.

And therein lies the one problem with the show as a whole: a tendency toward the schizoid. Stevens clearly wants to do everything all of the time, and is largely successful, but much like the album version of "Impossible Soul," it felt as though he was cramming too many ideas in to a medium that can only take the weight of so many distinct concepts.

Still, the show was one of the most impressive productions I've seen at a live rock concert in a long time. The Celebrate Brooklyn! season should be praised for its diverse lineup of considerable talents, but Tuesday's show was most definitely one of the highlights of the summer.

GRAMMY-NOMINATED RECORDING ARTISTS MUTEMATH ANNOUNCE "ODD SOUL INTRODUCTION TOUR" TO KICK OFF IN SEPTEMBER

2011-07-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

BAND TO UNVEIL SONGS FROM ITS UPCOMING NEW ALBUM, ODD SOUL, IN INTIMATE SETTINGS

ODD SOUL DUE ON OCTOBER 4^TH, 2011, ON TELEPROMPT/WARNER BROS. RECORDS

July 28, 2011- Burbank, CA - New Orleans' rock innovators MUTEMATH have announced that they will launch the Odd Soul Introduction Tour this fall. The tour finds the band, which is Paul Meany (vocals/keyboards), Roy Mitchell-Cardenas (bass/guitar), and Darren King (drums), unveiling songs from their upcoming new album, Odd Soul, which will be released on October 4^th by Teleprompt/Warner Bros. Records. MUTEMATH will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the night of release.

The Odd Soul Introduction Tour kicks off on September 7^th and concludes with a homecoming show in New Orleans on October 21^st. The tour revisits intimate venues to provide fans with a unique opportunity to see MUTEMATH up close in many of the clubs they first performed at when starting out nearly seven years ago. A pre-sale for a VIP Package (which includes tickets, a physical and digital copy of Odd Soul, and a digital download of the track "Blood Pressure") has already begun. Regular tickets go on sale to the public on August 5^th. Prior to September 7^th, MUTEMATH will perform a few select special dates in August. Visitwww.mutemath.com for more details. All upcoming tour dates are listed below.

In other MUTEMATH news, the track "Odd Soul" is currently available to fans in a unique video mixer platform. The mixer, which premiered on digital and social media technology site Mashable.com, features a different video for each part of the song: drums, guitars, bass, vocals, synth, and background vocals. Listeners can solo, mute, and mix "Odd Soul" in real-time creating their own audio and visual mix. Due to varying connection speeds and hardware there are two versions available, a 4-track version meant for users on slower connections and a 6-track version for fans using up-to-date browsers on faster broadband connections. Versions can be chosen by visiting www.mutemath.com/oddsoul.

Odd Soul, which was produced by the band, is the follow-up to 2009's Armistice, which debuted at No. 3 onBillboard's Digital Albums and Alternative Albums chart, No. 4 on the Rock chart, and No. 18 on the Top 200 album chart, and was called a "must-have album" by the New York Post.

08/06 Tulsa, OK Brady District Block Party

08/13 Tokyo, JAPAN Summer Sonic Festival

08/14 Osaka, JAPAN Summer Sonic Festival

08/16 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour (sold-out)

08/20 Mobile, AL Saenger Theatre

08/25 New York, NY Mercury Lounge (sold-out)

09/07 Charleston, SC The Pour House

09/08 Greenville, SC The Handlebar

09/09 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern

09/10 Athens, GA 40 Watt

09/12 Raleigh, NC The Pour House

09/13 Wilmington, NC The Soapbox

09/15 Richmond, VA Canal Club

09/16 Charlottesville, VA The Southern

09/17 Poughkeepsie, NY The Loft

09/18 Hartford, CT Webster Underground

09/20 Providence, RI The Met

09/22 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place

09/23 Burlington, VT Higher Ground

09/24 Albany, NY Pearl Palooza (WEQX)

09/25 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop

09/27 Ann Arbor, MI The Blind Pig

09/29 Lansing, MI The Loft

09/30 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Bar

10/01 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville, Mews

10/02 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck

10/07 Oklahoma, City, OK The Conservatory

10/08 Waco, TX Common Ground

10/09 San Antonio, TX Endless Music

10/11 Little Rock, AK Revolution Music Room

10/12 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone

10/14 Baton Rough, LA Chelsea's

10/16 Pensacola, FL Deluna Fest

10/17 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbit's

10/19 Knoxville, TN The Square Room

10/20 Birmingham, AL Workplay Theatre

10/21 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks

For info, videos and photos of MUTEMATH, please visit www.mutemath.com.

Photo Credit: Claire Vogel

Tori Amos Announces North American Leg of Night of Hunters Tour

2011-07-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Tori Amos has announced the US leg of her Night of Hunters Tour which begins November 29 at Atlanta ‘s Cobb Energy Performance Arts Center and concludes December 22 at Dallas’s Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie. North American tour dates are listed below and on-sale information can be found on ToriAmos.com. The tour is in support of her album Night of Hunters due out in September on celebrated classical label Deutsche Grammophon. The iconic, platinum-selling singer-songwriter continues her legacy of ground-breaking recordings with this 21^st century song cycle inspired by select classical pieces spanning the last 400 years.

With Night of Hunters, Amos carries on the classical tradition of variations on a theme: taking inspiration from classical forms to create a bold new work while paying tribute to the mastery of the original compositions.

With more than 12 million albums sold and multiple Grammy nominations, Tori Amos is one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation. A pioneer across multiple platforms, she was the first major label artist to offer a single for download, has had her songs turned into graphic novels, and has produced groundbreaking videos throughout her career. She is renowned for her passionate and broad fan-base, her critically and commercially successful tours, and her ever evolving live show. Ms. Amos is also a noted humanitarian and co-founder of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), which is the United States’ largest anti-sexual assault organization.

Night of Hunters Tour North American Dates

11/29: Atlanta, GA @ Cobb Energy Performance Arts Center

12/1: Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of Music

12/2: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre

12/3: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre

12/5: Washington DC @ Constitution Hall

12/6: Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theater

12/8: Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall

12/10: Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre

12/13: Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theater

12/14: Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre

12/16: Oakland, CA @ Paramount Theatre

12/17: Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre

12/18: Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre

12/21: Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall

12/22: Dallas, TX @ Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie

toriamos.com

www.twitter.com/therealtoriamos

www.facebook.com/toriamos

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE DEBUT NEW SONG “DEODORANT CAN’T FIX UGLY” ON REVOLVERMAG.COM TODAY NEW CD ‘RUINING IT FOR EVERYBODY’ OUT JULY 26

2011-07-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Photo By Jeremy Saffer

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE
DEBUT NEW SONG “DEODORANT CAN’T FIX UGLY”
ON REVOLVERMAG.COM TODAY
NEW CD ‘RUINING IT FOR EVERYBODY’ OUT JULY 26

Iwrestledabearonce debuted their new song “Deodorant Can’t Fix Ugly” on Revolver Magazine’s website www.RevolverMag.com today. The song can be heard here: http://www.revolvermag.com/news/exclusive-premiere-iwrestledabearonce-debut-deodorant-cant-fix-ugly.html and appears with a Q&A about the track.

The group’s new CD Ruining It For Everybody will be released July 26 via Century Media Records. The disc also features the songs “Karate Nipples,” “Next Visible Delicious” and “You Know That Ain’t Them Dogs’ Real Voices” which are available now on iTunes following major fan response to the songs’ online premieres.

Early critical praise for the disc continues to build. In his 9.5 (out of 10) star review of the CD, writer Iann Robinson of CraveOnline.com called Ruining It For Everybody a “contender for Album of the Year.” He continued, “…Iwrestledabearonce have created a shimmering piece of artistic genius…Gloriously shining and seductive female vocals reach for the outer limits while screeching vocals of ugly defiance batter us back into reality. Beautiful piano and electronic sounds are kicked in the shins over and over by thick and brutal riffs...This isn’t just music, this is art, this is an impressionist painting mixed with a work by Dali that’s draped over the hand carved stone statue of a demon all backed by the sounds of angels singing…for those who burn every day with the desire to see heavy music take bold steps forward, I give you Iwrestledabearonce and their maddening genius bottled into a Molotov cocktail of audio complexity...” (July 12, 2011).

Iwrestledabearonce--Krysta Cameron (vocals), Steven Bradley (guitar, keyboard, programming, samples), John Ganey (guitar, keyboard, programming, samples), Mike "Rickshaw" Martin (bass) and Mikey Montgomery (drums)--is current touring North America on The All Stars Tour with Emmure, Alesana, Born Of Osiris, and Bless The Fall through August 27.
Following The All Stars Tour, the band will head north for two shows in Alaska.
Current tour dates are as follows:
Date City Venue
The All Stars Tour:
7/22 McAllen, TX Las Palmas Racepark
7/23 San Antonio, TX Backstage Live
7/24 Dallas, TX The Palladium
7/26 Louisville, KY Expo Five
7/27 Cleveland, OH Agora Ballroom
7/28 Chicago, IL Congress Theatre
7/29 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Theatre
7/30 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
7/31 St. Paul, MN Station 4 Outdoors (Lowertown Music Festival)
8/2 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
8/3 Montreal, QC Olympia
8/4 Reading, PA Eagle Theatre at The Sov Center
8/5 Poughkeepsie, NY Civic Center
8/6 Fitchburg, MA Marriott Trade Center
8/7 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
8/9 Baltimore, MD Sonar
8/10 Richmond, VA The National
8/11 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
8/12 Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues
8/13 Orlando, FL Plaza Live
8/14 Pensacola, FL Seville Quarter Party Plaza
8/17 Tucson, AZ The Rialto Theatre
8/18 Scottsdale, AZ Venue of Scottsdale
8/19 San Diego, CA Soma
8/20 Anaheim, CA The Grove
8/21 Las Vegas, NV Rock The Block
8/23 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
8/26 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
8/27 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
Solo Dates:
9/16 Anchorage, AK Club Millennium
9/17 Anchorage, AK Chilkoot Charlie’s

www.myspace.com/iwrestledabearonce
www.facebook.com/iwrestledabearonce

SLASH CO-WRITES AND PERFORMS ON BRAND-NEW TRACK “KICK IT UP A NOTCH” VIDEO DEBUTS ON DISNEY CHANNEL JULY 22nd

2011-07-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

WALT DISNEY RECORDS RELEASES

‘PHINEAS AND FERB: ACROSS THE 1ST AND 2ND DIMENSIONS’

AVAILABLE AUGUST 2nd

THE COLLECTION INCLUDES NEW MUSIC FROM DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE “PHINEAS AND FERB: ACROSS THE 2ND DIMENSION” PLUS SONGS FROM THE #1 EMMY AWARD-WINNING ANIMATED SERIES

SLASH CO-WRITES AND PERFORMS ON BRAND-NEW TRACK

“KICK IT UP A NOTCH”

VIDEO DEBUTS ON DISNEY CHANNEL JULY 22nd

Burbank, CA (July 13, 2011)--Walt Disney Records is set to release the soundtrack to Phineas and Ferb Across: The 1st and 2nd Dimensions, on August 2, 2011. The album features 7 new songs (“Everything’s Better With Perry,” “Brand New Best Friend,” “Summer (Where Do We Begin?),” “Taking Care Of Things,” “Mysterious Force,” “Robot Riot,”) and the end credit track “Kick It Up a Notch,” thePhineas and Ferb collaboration with legendary guitarist Slash. The soundtrack also includes 15 songs from the hit animated series. The Disney Channel Original Movie "Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension” premieres Friday, August 5 (8 p.m., ET/PT), on Disney Channel, Saturday, August 13 on Disney XD and also on the ABC Television Network (date TBD).

The “Kick It Up a Notch” music video opens with a live-action segment of Slash plugging his Gibson Les Paul guitar into an amp. An electric current travels through the wire and Slash becomes animated and is joined on stage by Phineas and Ferb. The video will debut July 22nd on Disney Channel.

In this animated adventure--based on Disney Channel's Emmy Award-winning comedy series "Phineas and Ferb"--stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb go on their biggest journey yet, into another dimension! When the boys finally discover that their beloved pet platypus Perry is in fact a secret agent who battles the forces of evil daily, they join him on a grand adventure that blasts them to another dimension where a truly evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz has taken over an alternate Tri-state Area. When they uncover his ploy to travel back to their dimension to take over their Tri-state Area, the gang, as well as their alter-egos, must bandtogether to stop him. “Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension” was executive-produced by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy” Marsh ("The Simpsons," "Family Guy").

Povenmire and Marsh said, "We're thrilled about the music in 'Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension.' Music plays a big role in the movie just like the series. We always try to pepper in songs whenever we can to hook the audience in and a song gets you emotionally a lot quicker sometimes than dialogue would. It’s part of what makes things memorable about the show.”

On the collaboration with Slash, Povenmire added, “Slash is a rock icon, he’s our hero. We wanted a song that encapsulated the feeling of the series as well as the movie. Slash saw the movie with his kids and he liked it so much, he said, ‘Hey, let’s write a song together!’ It was really a dream come true.”

The relationship between Slash and the show creators was brokered by entertainment marketing consultant Al Hassas, who has played an instrumental role in building marketing alliances for Slash during the last few years.

Slash said, “I’m a big fan of ‘Phineas and Ferb.’ I watch a lot of cartoons and I think it’s one of the best shows. It’s well-written, very original and the characters are great. This whole experience has been surreal because I’m a big Disney fan. To be involved in this movie and having written some music for it is pretty exciting. It’s an honor to actually be animated in the ‘Kick It Up a Notch’ music video.”

On his collaboration with the show creators and composer, Slash added, “Working with Dan, Swampy and Danny Jacobs was just great. Very talented couple of guys. It was really easygoing. I had a guitar riff and they came up with lyrics and melodies instantaneously. Kids will dig it ‘cause it has a lot of energy and the song has a great hook.”

The track listing for Phineas and Ferb: Across the 1st and 2nd Dimensions follows:

1. “Everything’s Better With Perry”
2. “Perfect Day”
3. “Hey Ferb”
4. “Brand New Best Friend”
5. “You’re Going Down”
6. “What ’Cha Doin’?”
7. “Summer (Where Do We Begin?)”
8. “Perry The Platypus (Extended Version)”
9. “Takin’ Care Of Things”
10. “Not Knowing Where You’re Going”
11. “Brand New Reality”
12. “There’s A Platypus Controlling Me”
13. “Mysterious Force”
14. “My Ride From Outer Space”
15. “Come Home Perry”
16. “Back In Gimmelshtump”
17. “When You Levitate”
18. “You’re Not Ferb”
19. “Robot Riot”
20. “Rollercoaster”
21. “Carpe Diem”
22. “Kick It Up A Notch”

ABOUT PHINEAS AND FERB:

"Phineas and Ferb" is TV's #1 animated series in primetime among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14, reaching more than 110 million unduplicated Total Viewers across the U.S. 2011-to date. Each year since its premiere in 2008, it has been TV's #1 animated series among Tweens 9-14 (Source: NTI, US ratings, most current, 12/27/10-5/29/11, trackage data with minimum 6 telecasts. Reach: 12/27/10-3/27/11, minimum 6 minutes).

ABOUT SLASH:

Slash is widely considered one of the greatest rock guitar players of all time. He has received countless accolades and awards including a 2007 induction into Hollywood’s RockWalk (located in front of Guitar Center in Hollywood) alongside his idols Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. An original member of iconic rock band Guns N’ Roses, the Grammy-winning Slash helped the band create signature sounds like the guitar riff of #1 hit “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Welcome To The Jungle.” The band dominated the 1980’s and 90’s music scene selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and ushered in a decade of hard charging rock music. After leaving the band, Slash went on to critical acclaim in his personal project Slash’s Snakepit, and global success with supergroup Velvet Revolver. He has been widely sought after by the biggest musicians of all time, performing with everyone from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder to Ray Charles. Slash recently landed on the top of the charts with his first true solo album, Slash. In addition, Slash was just honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who named him as an official selection for 2011 to receive a star on Hollywood’s iconic Walk of Fame. Slash is currently in the studio working on his second solo album due for release in 2012.

Phineas and Ferb: Across the 1st and 2nd Dimensions soundtrack is available August 2, 2011, wherever music is sold. For more information on Walt Disney Records’ releases, please visit Disney Records.com, become a fan at Facebook.com/disneymusic or follow us at Twitter.com/disneymusic.

WEEZER & THE FLAMING LIPS ANNOUNCE EPIC "SIDE-BY-SIDE" CO-HEADLINING SETS

2011-07-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

July 11, 2011 - (Burbank, CA) - THE FLAMING LIPS continue to confirm additional concert dates to their current summer itinerary. All dates are listed below. The LIPS are fresh off their very special two-night engagement in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where they played to ecstatic capacity crowds, The band performed THE SOFT BULLETIN in its entirety the first night and their version of Pink Floyd's THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (including spectacular vocal assistance from Peaches on a pair of Dark Side songs) on the second night. In addition, the LIPSadded a brief, stripped-down sunrise performance on the cemetery's front lawn with assistance from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros on the morning of June 15^th. Each of these events has been heavily documented in the media so check out YouTube for highlights.

An exclusive Flaming Lips (life-size) Gummy Skull, with USB drive featuring "The Soft Bulletin: Live La Fantastique de Institution 2011," was available for this event. It's very possible that some of these special Skulls may remain in stock so double check the LIPS Official Store and grab it up before it's gone...forever.

Possibly the most exciting news of the summer is the confirmation of a pair of NY area co-headline shows with Weezer July 28, at PNC Bank Arts Center and July 29, at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater. This will be a first for both bands as they will take the stage together and trade off songs. Naturally, these will be very special events and most likely will never happen again. The only thing that can be predicted is to expect the unpredictable. Yeasayer will provide support.

Commenting on these shows Wayne Coyne remarked: "The Flaming Lips and Weezer are playing a show together...where they are actually playing together." "I asked Wayne if he has an extra bubble I could ride in," dared Weezer's Rivers Cuomo. Needless to say don't miss these unprecedented, monumental happenings.

Complete list of confirmed dates are as follows:

Wed July 27 Bank Of America Pavilion Boston, MA

Thur July 28 PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ

(w/ LipsWeezer/WeezerLips Extravaganza & Yeasayer)

Fri July 29 Nikon and Jones Beach Wantagh, NY

(w/ LipsWeezer/WeezerLips Extravaganza & Yeasayer)

Sun July 31 Osheaga Festival Montreal, Canada

(Featuring a special performance of "The Soft Bulletin" and more)

Wed Aug 3 Red Rocks Amphitheater Morrison, CO

(w/ Primus - Special performance of "Dark Side Of The Moon" and more)

Thur Aug 4 Harrah's Council Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA

Fri Aug 5 Kanrocksas - Kansas Speedway Kansas City, KS

Sat Aug 6 Brady District Block Party Tulsa, OK

(w/ Primus, MuteMath and more)

Sat Aug 20 Sound Town Fest/Somerset Amphit Somerset, WI

Sat Sep 3 Metamorphose Izu City, Japan

Fri Sep 9 Long Beach Long Island, NY

Sat Sep 10 Hopscotch festival Raleigh, NC

Fri Sep 16 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival Telluride, CO

Sat Sep 17 The Great Saltair Magna, UT

Mon Sep 19 Eagle River Pavilion Eagle, ID

Tue Sep 20 Keller Auditorium Portland, OR

Wed Sep 21 Western Washington Fair Puyallup, WA

Sat Sep 24 Blackwater Music Festival Live Oak, FL

Tue Oct 25 Main Street Armory Rochester, NY

Thur Oct 27 Norva Norfolk, VA

Sat Oct 29 Moogfest Asheville, NC

As previously reported the LIPS have been busy recording post-EMBRYONIC new material on their own as well as indulging in some unique collaborations. Some of these amazing recordings have manifested themselves into and onto the resoundingly popular 12" round vinyl "record" format and pressed in vivid multi-hues of Mr. Coyne's own choosing. These lovely limited-edition artifacts have been sparsely distributed to independent record stores around the country and though most have been grabbed up, search carefully and you shall be rewarded. No two are exactly alike but some are still out there in the bins so happy hunting. Other recordings have found their way onto Flash Drives embedded into the flavorful brains of juicy edible Gummy Skulls randomly distributed to various music emporiums or sold at the Hollywood Forever L.A. shows. Again, these too, may be findable. To recap, here is a list of all the new LIPS music released to date this year:

"TWO BLOBS F**KING," released on Valentine's Day, Feb 14^th, and available on YouTube now in 12 musical and visual parts designed to be played back on iPhone mobile devices simultaneously to create a lo-fi symphonic effect.

A very limited edition, self-released four-song 12" color vinyl single followed in March and new songs with THE LIPS collaborating with Neon Indian and featuring the tracks:

"Is David Bowie Dying?," "Alan's Theremin," "You Don't Respond" and "Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth Part 2."

April saw the release of "HEADY NUGGS: THE FIRST 5 WARNER BROS. RECORDS 1992 - 2002" for Record Store Day comprised of the complete recordings of: Hit To Death In The Future Head (1992), Transmissions From The Satellite Heart (1993), Clouds Taste Metallic (1995), The Soft Bulletin (1999), and the Grammy Award-winning, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002). Standard issue pressed on 120-gram black vinyl for Record Store Day internationally. A "Special Limited Edition" was also available with each album pressed on colored vinyl (five different colors), sold through the LIPS' webstore.

Also in April was the first-ever Gummy Skull with different flavored Gummy brain inside the skull (life-sized, completely edible and weighing in at over seven lbs. of chewy goodness), which houses a USB drive inside the brain - of a different flavor and color - with four new and exclusive songs: "Drug Chart," "In Our Bodies, Out Of Our Heads," "Walk With Me," and "Hillary's Time Machine Machine." These are now rare but check www.flaminglips.com for details.

In May, another varied colored vinyl limited-edition 12" four-song EP was released, this time featuring the LIPS collaborating with Prefuse 73 (Guillermo Scott Herren). Tracklist: "The Super Moon Made Me Want to Pee," "Heavy Star Moving," "Be Like That...That...That," and "Guillermo's Bolero."Search and you shall find!

In June, a limited edition marijuana-flavored Gummy Skull with a USB drive featuring "The Soft Bulletin: Live La Fantastique de Institution 2011" was available at the Hollywood Forever Los Angeles shows.

Just in time for July, the LIPS have introduced the Gummy Song Fetus in limited quantities to fans in tour markets. Naturally, the prenatal confection contains a USB Drive embedded into its cranial core with three brand-new recordings exclusive to this release: "Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear Part 2," "Steven's Moonbow," and "Squishy Glass." These will be very limited so don't hesitate.

Future releases include such exotic formats as...well, you'll just have to keep an eye on www.flaminglips.com or look for Wayne Infamous tweets for clues. Until then, don't miss the LIPSlive this summer. Check the LIPS official Store for brand new merch available now.

Photo credit - Greg Jacquin (The Flaming Lips - Central Park SummerStage)

BATTLES’ “MY MACHINES” FEAT. GARY NUMAN 12” SINGLE OUT AUGUST 16 ON WARP RECORDS ALBUM GLOSS DROP AVAILABLE NOW, RECEIVES CRITICAL ACCLAIM

2011-07-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

BATTLES’ “MY MACHINES” FEAT. GARY NUMAN
12” SINGLE OUT AUGUST 16 ON WARP RECORDS - ALBUM GLOSS DROP AVAILABLE NOW, RECEIVES CRITICAL ACCLAIM

“Creepy, surreal, hyper-real. It’s an art of implausibilities.”—New York Times
BATTLES’ “My Machines,” featuring synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan, is available as a 12” colored vinyl single August 16 via Warp Records. Please see attached for artwork. The track—off of the band’s critically acclaimed sophomore record Gloss Drop (available now via Warp Records)—has been hailed by NME as “propelled on stern, piston drums, pointillistic guitar notes scattering like frightened crickets.” Numan notes that “working with Battles was an easy choice for me. They have a unique approach to making music and a clear idea of what they want. They are inventive, adventurous, unpredictable and I’m proud to be involved.” The single, which includes the b-side “A.M. Gestalt,” is currently available for pre-order at http://bit.ly/ogdr7Y. “My Machines” is currently streaming at http://soundcloud.com/battles/my-machines-feat-gary-numan.

Gloss Drop has received praise from the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, Washington Post, and Pitchfork, among many others. SPIN called the record “virtuoso art funk that’ll sophisticate your booty,” while Filter proclaimed the record “…as delightfully fucked up as it is musically seamless.” USA Today posited, “This shrewd and vigorous follow up to 2007 debut Mirrored finds BATTLES winning the war against convention.” Upon the album’s release the band performed “Futura” on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” which prompted ?uestlove to hail the band saying, “They’re a living car chase scene from an updated “Streets of San Francisco” sequel. Yikes!”
The band will embark on a series of summer tour dates including an appearance at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago on July 15, followed by an extensive fall tour. See below for completed confirmed dates.
In addition to Numan the three-piece outfit collaborates with guest vocalists on the record including Chilean-born Kompakt minimal techno producer Matias Aguayo, cult indie rocker Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead and Yamantaka Eye, the messianic dreadlocked front man of Japanese cosmiche future beat unit, the Boredoms.
BATTLES came together in New York in 2002 drawing together disparate strands of hardcore, avant-garde tonal minimalism, neo-classical, techno and post rock featuring drummer John Stanier (Helmet), guitarists Ian Williams (Don Caballero) and Dave Konopka (Lynx) and Tyondai Braxton. After a string of EPs, the group signed to WARP and released their debut Mirrored in 2007. Recorded during the winter of 2009 at Machines with Magnets studio in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Gloss Drop was initially recorded with Braxton but he later departed. With completely reworked tracks minus Braxton, BATTLES offers Gloss Drop.
BATTLES TOUR DATES
July 15 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Music Festival
July 16 Madison, WI UW Madison Memorial Terrace
July 17 Iowa City, IA Blue Moose Taphouse
July 18 Lincoln, NE Bourbon Theater
July 19 Denver, CO Bluebird
July 20 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
July 22 Victoria, BC Sugar Nightclub
July 23 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theater
July 24 Seattle, WA Capitol Hill Block Party
October 1 Asbury Park, NJ All Tomorrow’s Parties
October 2 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub
October 3 Montreal, QC Le National
October 4 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
October 5 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
October 6 Pittsburgh, PA VIA Festival
October 7 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
October 8 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Café
October 10 Edmonton, AB Starlite Room
October 13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
October 16 Pomona, CA Glasshouse
October 17 Los Angeles, CA Mayan Theater
October 18 Scottsdale, AZ The Venue
October 20 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s
October 21 Austin, TX Emo’s
October 22 Dallas, TX Grenada
October 24 Nashville, TN Exit In
October 25 Birmingham, AL Work/Play
October 26 Tampa, FL Crowbar
October 27 Miami, FL Grand Central
October 28 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
October 29 Ashevill;e, NC Moogfest
October 30 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
October 31 Philadelphia, PA Theater of the Living Arts
Official site: http://www.bttles.com

Gomez - JULY 14 - NYC TERMINAL 5 SHOW

2011-06-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

JULY 14 - NYC TERMINAL 5 SHOW

New York City area folks! The Gomez show at Terminal 5 is little over two weeks away (Thursday, July 14th to be specific). That gives you a little over two weeks to buy tickets! Here's the link; the rest is up to you.

If you're saying to yourself, "I already have tickets, but thanks for the friendly reminder none the less!" we appreciate your cordiality. However, don't forget to invite your friends; they're probably waiting for an invite. See you soon ladies and gents!

Review - No Remission Through Blackened Skies Album Release Party - The Studio at Webster Hall June 18, 2011

2011-06-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad165/bjurado85/No%20Remission/Record%20Release%20-%20black%20and%20white/DSC_0103b1.jpg
Pits, pits, pits. This show was Pit Central from the get-go despite the higher than normal amount of ladies for a metal audience. Webster Hall went pretty smoothly.

Up first, Left in Ruins (LIR) set the tone of the night with an immediate pit breaking out. With three guitarists, bass, percussion and vocals, LIR's sound was down right huge. Tight build ups and layered harmonies lent well to pit activity, the crowd was really into it. Each of their songs had its own sound as well as each musician. The guitarists traded off soloing within songs, each with their own respective approach, to create a cohesive musical statement. Solos ranged from liquid smoothness to gritty thrash; tied together with counter melodies traded off between guitars and bass; all held together with a strong percussive foundation. LIR showed off a very textured writing approach with a plethora of stylistic variation.

Speaking of variety, Arcane Malevolence put on a set to remember. I had heard about this bombastic front man before but had yet to see a performance for myself. I caught myself having a hard time reviewing the set due to bouts of giggling at his mental-patient-like antics. I found myself pleasantly surprised at the eclectic vocals coupled with the controlled chaotic feel of the musical foundation. Arcane Malevolence's line up consisted of one singer, one guitarist, one bass player and a drummer. Their sound was surprisingly strong, especially after LIR's triple-guitarist onslaught. The bassist did a phenomenal job of tying together all of the elements of Arcane Malevolence's style. It's hard to categorize their approach accurately besides metal unless you want to create one of those sub-sub-sub-you hopefully get the picture by now-sub-genres. The members of Arcane Malevolence frantically finesse their way through many a metal sub-genre.

Up next, thickening up the sound again with two guitars, bass, percussion and vocals, Alekhine's Gun really riled up the crowd with their female vocalist. Even through an unfortunate tuning event which caused them to edit their set, she was able to keep the crowd occupied and into the show. But no worries, just a small bump on the road to Alekhine's Gun really rocking out with some brutal material. If anything, the delay seemed to make the audience even thirstier for more metal and the testosterone infused pit went insane as soon as the band kicked back in. You could close your eyes, which I wouldn't recommend in that pit, and not be able to tell the singer was a lady. By the time they were done the pit filled 3/4ths of the floor.

And for the finale, showcasing their new album "Through Blackened Skies", No Remission put on a flawless performance full of head banging goodness. The guys were beyond ready to appease the crowds hunger for metal and you could hear it in their playing and see it through their showmanship. With a line up consisting of vocals, two guitars, bass and drums, No Remission expertly plowed through their set proving that the NY metal scene is not only alive, but thriving. It was especially interesting to see a slow motion pit during "The Hunter" grow into utter pit devastation as the song got heavier and time signatures changed. Tight, melodic, driven and thrashy as always, I could hear the full instrumentation throughout No Remission's deluge without straining my ears. Each and every riff was executed cleanly. The performance was on par with the sound of a professional recording thanks to the very talented sound lady. She did a truly marvelous job bringing all the timbres of metal together without making metal soup. By the time No Remission got to "Signal Loss", I wanted to jump into the sound cage with her for protection. The pit covered pretty much the entire floor minus the merch tables.

All of the bands in the line up for No Remission's release party complemented each other really well. I think a tour with Left in Ruins, Arcane Malevolence, Alekhine's Gun and No Remission would be received really well. It was amazingly refreshing to go to a metal show where all the bands didn't sound the same. Thanks, guys! This show was a perfect example of the variety that can be found in the NY metal scene if you know where to look.

Reviewed by Laurcifer
Photos By Bruce Jurado

Sufjan Stevens and his Astral Masters of Song and Dance at the backyard barbecue of Prospect Park!

2011-06-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

AGE OF ADZ LIVE SHOW:

“The songs repeat and revel in their choruses, in the joy of something catchy and goofy, less precious and more tied to visceral (but still heady) effects.”—The New York Times

“If there were any doubts about the new direction, they were crushed in the first five minutes of the set even for the most hardened skeptics. When Sufjan Stevens builds a new world for his audience to swim in, it’s near impossible to resist.”—LA Weekly

“A fascinating and fabulous show.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Stevens’ use of a full band [adds] depth and vitality.”—Chicago Sun-Times

Is it Possible? Only One Last Chance?
The final performance of Age of Adz brings musical cosmonaut Sufjan Stevens and his Astral Masters of Song and Dance to the backyard barbecue of Prospect Park!

new video:

http://vimeo.com/25463271

August 2-3, 2011
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
ticketmaster.com/event/0000467100E1B6D3

No Remission played Highline Ballroom on May 11, 2011 - "Through Blackened Skies" release party at The Studio at Wester Hall June 18, 2011

2011-05-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Photo credit - GJ

Photo editing - Nick Perlman

No Remission - May 11, 2011 - Highline Ballroom Review

So No Remission played with Warbeast, Heathen, and Destruction last week at the Highline Ballroom. There was an all right turn out for a Wednesday evening show. Spirits were high, every body was ready to rock out, bands and fans included.

During their 20 minute set, No Remission was able to squeeze out five of their new tracks offThrough Blackened Skies. The first three, "The Hunter", "3 Years", and "Skeletal Messiah", demonstrated No Remissions expert ability to rock out and get a crowd head banging. They relentlessly kept up with their technically demanding onslaught through interesting song structures and precise rhythmic changes. I was particularly taken with the vocal contrasts, from guttural to clean to snarling, in "3 Years". The vocals had a bigger impact live than I had expected. The overall sound was clear and big, I could pick out each instrument, even the bass. I was especially impressed with the percussion. Although the toms could have been a tad louder, it was surprising to hear such a big sound come out of such a small kit. ( I think there was only one floor tom and two other toms). "Skeletal Messiah", tastefully dedicated to Joan Rivers, preceded "This Plague Will Kill Us All". At this point No Remission displayed that they can create more than a straight forward "Are you ready to rock?!?!" vibe, but they can pensively build up and explode just as well live as in the studio, even with their complicated guitar solos. For the finale the crowd was treated to "New Dark Age", a song built up on a sitar-like guitar riff complete with No Remissions refreshing approach to song structure.

This performance was an awesome warm up for No Remissions release party for Through Blackened Skies. Highline was just an appetizer, dinner and dessert will be served at Webster Hall, Saturday, June 18th. We can look forward to another tight as hell performance out of No Remission. We can also expect some performances from Left In Ruins, Arcane Malevolence and Alekhine's Gun. Don't miss it, tickets are only $10.

Review written by Laurcifer - Scroll down to check out photos from the Highline Ballroom show and the details for the upcoming release show on June 18 at The Studio at Webster Hall.

Highline Ballroom photos taken by Bruce Jurado

No Remission is: Will Checchi - Guitar/Vocals, Kurt Balogh - Guitar, Greg Perlman - Drums and Dan Paprocki - Bass.

No Remission on the internet:

http://www.noremission.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/noremission
http://www.myspace.com/NoRemission

http://www.facebook.com/NoRemission

No Remission is proud to announce that after 2 and a half years we are finally set to release our full-length "Through Blackened Skies" produced by Billy Graziadei. To commemorate the release of our album, we will be holding a record release party at the Studio at Webster Hall on June 18.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=212900932070667

www.reverbnation.com/leftinruins
www.reverbnation.com/alekhinesgun
www.arcanemalevolence.com

Reviewed - No Remission, Through Blackened Skies - Release Party June 18 The Studio At Webster Hall, May 11, HIGHLINE BALLROOM w/ DESTRUCTION

2011-04-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

No Remission, Through Blackened Skies

No Remission really went all out on this one. Years of pent up talent have exploded into maturation on their third brutal album. Through Blackened Skies takes us on a journey through just that. This album is emotional without being wussy at all. By this I mean that the raw musical nuances, precise technical execution and high production values provide us with some unpredictably delicious rations for our trip with No Remission. Metal heads who enjoy variety and musicians who 'play outside of the box', buy his album. I'll tell you why:

First off, "Carbon Copy" kicks in with a thrashy feel, snarly vocals and in your face guitars alternate with clean vocals and upbeat rhythms. They break it down into a harmonic guitar solo before a brief revival of the clean vocals, only to let us off the hook snarling again. This is just a sample. The album is riddled with interesting song structures, rhythmic changes and guitar solos that give Slash a run for his money. "All Hell Breaks Loose" builds up slowly before, you guessed it, all hell breaks loose with driven yet melodic riffs. No Remission uses rhythm expertly with their underlying build ups, you catch yourself head banging unintentionally.

"Skeletal Messiah" has a different feel than the first two tracks by introducing 'horse trot' rhythms. The drums and strings are particularly tight and everyone's locked in for the time signature changes. There are some really powerful clean vocals with good meter in contrast to the rhythm guitar. Track four' "Nine", gets right into it, no pretense of an intro. Crunching guitar riffs with ascending chords add to the feeling of insanity portrayed in the vocals. No Remission even gets down right bluesy with it, the vocals are reminiscent of Alice in Chains at this point. The percussion pulls us out of the blues and back into some intense cymbal work and guitar crunching.

"Malevolence" is a pensive, slightly dissonant acoustic guitar solo finger picked with harp like care. As a listener I felt like this was the point of the journey where anger is present even in peace. It ends as if in the middle of a breath and your thrown back to brutal with tight time changes and complicated rhythms on "Rage Within". This track displays a bit of a clockwork feel, moving forwards while looking back. No Remission pulls this off really well even though the music is technically demanding, at no point does it sound like jamming in as many notes as possible for the sake off showing off.

"Three Years" is built up on a sinister guitar riff and precise drumming, the sound space grows from big, to Large, to HUGE during the guitar solo. This is another track where No Remission is experimenting with song structure by assaulting us with interesting time changes and patterned guitar trills. "The Hunter" is also technically mature. The impact of the blast beats tastefully convey a hunting feel without over using the snare. The verses, breakdown and guitar solo are nicely contrasted, we go from fast and upbeat to slow and gritty for the most sludgy guitar solo yet, precise chaos over a doomy foundation.

Easing us in with clean guitar, light drums and a gentle electric guitar solo, "This Plague Will Kill Us All" creates a pensive sound that grows into that dark, clockwork feeling, once again. Always driving us forward, the sound brightens up for a second and then the verses snarl their way in and it's back to dark with a rallying, warlike feel in the percussion. As well as filling the sound space, each member of No Remission knows when to let their musical counterparts breathe. The pauses in the main guitar riff act as their own notes and the call and answer break down between the drums and guitars demonstrates this. The percussion on "Redemption" is deftly executed as well. The fairly simple guitar lines - for No Remission that is, leave room for intricate build ups and fills on the drums. Each track on this album goes somewhere musically and is interesting in its own way. This particular track goes from a running feel to a controlled fleeing vibe before we hit the outro. This outro brings us to the eye of the storm with "Benevolence", a short, bittersweet guitar solo. We get the sense that Through Blackened Skies has hit the point of the journey where we are done running and are ready for something fresh, namely the twelfth track.

"New Dark Age" builds and builds on the initial eastern sounding intro riff. We start out acoustic, with the guitar mimicking a sitar, until the drums and electric guitar take over and blast you in the face with the riff incase you didn't get it the first time. Once again I was impressed by the refreshing approach to song structure. "New Dark Age" is very well balanced, the percussion accents the vocals perfectly, the acoustic and electric guitars join up during the verses to create an invigorating change in tonality overall. Our final track, "Signal Loss", is no acception to No Remission's attention to detail. It kicks in with a syncopated riff that starts acoustic and gets progressively heavier as the drums and guitars join in. A contrast pattern is established between heavy and light cymbal attention, gritty chord progressions and melodic ones, snarly, clean, and deep and guttural vocals, and predominantly upbeat riffs alternated with down beat dominant riffs. As we sift through all this contrast the tempo unexpectedly slows down to a spooky breakdown. The slight dissonance in the clean vocals and guitars lend power to the overall sound before a reprise of the blast beat used in the first verse. They even further break it down in the final outro. As the 'last chord' is fading away, what's this? A new drum beat? Within the first two or three drum hits we are transported into a hospital room where the listener is just waiting for the flat line. No Remission does not disappoint us. The album dies and leaves us waiting for whatever's on the other side through that darkened sky. Perhaps album four?

Laurcifer - April 2011

No Remission is: Will Checchi- Guitar/Vocals, Kurt Balogh- Guitar, Greg Perlman- Drums and Dan Paprocki- Bass.

No Remission on the internet:

http://www.noremission.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/noremission
http://www.myspace.com/NoRemission

http://www.facebook.com/NoRemission

Joan As Police Woman New Album, The Deep Field, Released Today! National Tour Kicks Off This Week, New NYC Date Just Added

2011-04-12T10:37:00.001-07:00

Joan As Police Woman

The Deep Field

(PIAS America; April 12)

New Album, The Deep Field, Released Today!

National Tour Kicks Off This Week,
New NYC Date Just Added

"I'm in love with a police woman. Imaginative-funky- smoky- original and beautiful Joan has it all. She knows her way around a ballad in the most direct and heartfelt way and can then move into electric funk with the best of them. This is original and beautiful. I love J.A.P.W."
– Lou Reed

“I love this record! With each recording JoanAsPolicewoman continues to top herself and I thought she made her masterpiece a few records back. This is a beautiful moving record exquisitely recorded with brilliant meaningful songs and Joan's razor sharp yet vulnerable voice that can scream if it wants to. If you don't know Joan's work - buy this record first then go backwards.”
– Hal Willner

“Listening to Joan has been a deep love affair. I trust her voice and her heart.“
– Antony (Antony and the Johnsons)

"Her voice cuts through layers, and taps into raw emotion."
– Blackbook

“The Magic is… a slinky, funky number that showcases the elegant, expressive vocals of frontwoman Joan Wasser.”
– Rolling Stone

"The album is thick with infectious beats and the glow of trademark Motown sounds..."
– Time Out New York

“ …a funky, soulful, languid vibe prevails."
– NBC New York

Joan As Police Woman kicks off a national US tour in support of her latest record The Deep Field, released today on PIAS America. The dates kick off with an intimate sold out show in her home base NYC this week. For a taste of what you’ll hear live, check on the full album streaming on AOL Spinner today. The Deep Field is released today on CD and vinyl and the record is also available digitally via her website and Amazon through PIAS America.

Joan As Police Woman has been championed by as well as played and recorded with artists including Lou Reed, Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainwright and Antony and the Johnsons.The Deep Field is Joan As Police Woman’s fourth studio album and most stirring work to date, full of her inimitable hybrid of soul and indie rock. Album opener “Nervous” is one of Joan’s most adventurous songs with a stomping rhythm and drones are underscored by her heart-breaking voice. The seductive horn and string arrangements of “Action Man” wrap themselves around her tale of someone’s desire to set things in motion. “Human Condition” is a testament to Joan’s fearless way of expressing love and hope without masking it with metaphor. “I Was Everyone” begins with a laid-back organ groove before Joan lets her voice go and the song ascends to its thundering climax.

Joan As Police Woman US Dates

04/14: New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (SOLD OUT)

04/15: Philadelphia, PA @ The Tin Angel

04/19: Boston, MA @ The Middle East (Upstairs)

04/20: Buffalo, NY @ The Ninth Ward

04/21: Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel

04/22: Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room at The Crofoot

04/24: Chicago, IL @ Schuba's Tavern

04/26: Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Street Cultural Center

04/27: Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar

04/29: Dallas, TX @ Club Dada

04/30: Austin, TX @ The Parish

05/02: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl

05/04: Vienna, VA @ Jammin' Java

05/20: Seattle, WA @ Columbia City Theater

05/21: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

05/25: San Francisco, CA @ Café du Nord

05/27: Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater

06/15: Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House (JUST ADDED)

www.joanaspolicewoman.com

My Morning Jacket Share Title Track from New Album Circuital

2011-04-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

My Morning Jacket Share Title Track

from New Album Circuital

Click HERE for “Circuital" and to Pre-Order the Album

Click HERE for the "Circuital" Widget

Nearly three years since their last release, My Morning Jacket are now on the cusp of releasing the eagerly awaited new album, Circuital (ATO Records, May 31st). The band has been gearing it all up by releasing songs from each of their five Terminal 5 shows this past October. Today, My Morning Jacket are giving us a taste of the new album by sharing the title track and revealing it's enigmatic cover art.

Click HERE to download the song "Circuital" from the band's website. The site is also now offering pre-orders for the album, and a beautiful limited edition deluxe package that includes an exclusive 30 minute documentary dvd, high quality lithograph portrait taken by Danny Clinch and many other goodies. Ten deluxe versions will come with a 'Golden Ticket" entitling the bearer to receive an original signed print by the band and Clinch.

Like the album as a whole, "Circuital" was laid down almost entirely live as the honest spirit and human spontaneity are felt throughout the listening experience. The song Circuital, while a seven minute epic, is but a taste of what to expect – the collection of songs is truly eclectic and entrancing from beginning to end.

My Morning Jacket Tour Dates:

04/17: Lexington, KY @ Memorial Coliseum

05/20: Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Festival

06/02-06/05: Ozark, AR @ Wakarusa Festival

06/05: Hunter, NY @ Mountain Jam

06/09-06/12: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Festival

06/17: Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre

06/22: Los Angeles, CA @ Pantages Theatre

06/24: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre

06/26: Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre

06/28: Portland, OR @ Edgefield

06/29: Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum

06/30-07/03: Quincy, CA @ High Sierra Music Festival

07/11: Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus

07/12: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis

07/16: Southwold @ Latitude Festival

07/17: London @ Somerset House

08/04: Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre

DREDG and THE DEAR HUNTER performing in NYC 5/19

2011-04-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Dear Hunter.

Dredg.

dredg’s new album, CHUCKLES AND MR. SQUEEZY, will be released May 3 on Superball Music. It’s the highly anticipated follow-up to 2009’s critically acclaimed THE PARIAH, THE PARROT, THE DELUSION (Ohlone Recordings through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group), which was inspired in part by Salman Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There's No Heaven: A Letter to the 6 Billionth Citizen.”

It took the band--Gavin Hayes (vocals, guitars), Drew Roulette (bass, samples), Mark Engles (guitars) and Dino Campanella (drums, keyboards)--almost eight months of exchanging song-material via e-mail to finish CHUCKLES AND MR. SQUEEZY--a process producer Dan The Automator (Gorillaz, Kasabian, etc.) was also involved in right from the early beginnings. His influence becomes most apparent in the songs “The Tent,” “Sun Goes Down” and “Before it Began” where he also took an active part in the songwriting. Even though there is a lot of variation in tones and tempo, singer Gavin Hayes sums up the general sound of CHUCKLES AND MR. SQUEEZY as “Dark Pop”: a dark undertone is giving the songs some kind of a contemplative self-analysis – but in the end the album is still characterized by its optimism. “There is a certain darkness to it,” Gavin agrees. “A lot of our music is ultimately positive but can be conceived as sad as well. It has these two sides that oppose each other, but manage to reconcile in the music.”

Singer/guitarist/lyricist Gavin Hayes is an adopted child that recently found his biological family. Last year, he did some research online and ended up finding his half-sister on Facebook. Since then he has met about 30 cousins and half-cousins. His half-sister is also in the music business, interestingly enough. She’s an opera singer who has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic, as well as other orchestras across the country. A few songs on the new album were written about Gavin’s personal experiences….“Before It Began” is inspired by meeting his biological family, while “The Thought Of Losing You” and “Upon Returning” are about Gavin’s adopted sister being at war and dealing with severe shell shock.

The Dear Hunter will be touring in support of their forthcoming nine-EP collection, THE COLOR SPECTRUM, which is due out June 7 on Triple Crown Records in a variety of formats (Full Length CD, Limited Edition Deluxe Vinyl Box Set, Full Length Vinyl and each song as an individual digital version). THE COLOR SPECTRUM consists of songs inspired by the colors of the spectrum, specifically RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO andVIOLET, with WHITE and BLACK being included as bookends. Casey Crescenzo, mastermind of The Dear Hunter, completed the EPs while traveling the U.S., documenting every step of the process. The collection will feature collaborations with several producers and musicians, including Manchester Orchestra, Brendan Brown from The Receiving End of Sirens, Mike Watts (who has worked with As Tall As Lions and he mixed The Dear Hunter’s 2009 album, ACT III: LIFE AND DEATH), and Steve Haigler (Brand New, As Tall As Lions, Quicksand).

Alternative Press had praised ACT III: LIFE AND DEATH: “Casey Crescenzo, the multi-talented fountainhead of The Dear Hunter, assembled a masterwork in ACT III: LIFE AND DEATH, ostensibly the midsection of his ongoing, six-act tale of a born-loser boy who falls for a whore. LIFE AND DEATH expands the Danny Elfman-does-gypsy-vaudeville sound pioneered on TDH’s two previous albums, dedicating more space to better explore the densely layered vocal swathes (‘Writing On A Wall’) and polyrhythmic grooves (‘In Cauda Venenum’) for which Crescenzo’s become known. He flexes some serious harmonic muscle on the lachrymose ‘Saved’ and the aching, album-closing trifecta ‘Son,’ ‘Father’ and ‘Life and Death.’ If you’d prefer to simply commence wetting your shorts, jump to the 4:15 mark of ‘Thief’ and listen through to the end of ‘Mustard Gas.’ F**king bravo, man. 4-1/2 out of 5 stars.”

For dredg and The Dear Hunter please check out www.dredg.com and www.tdhcolors

photo credit Merkley???

MOVING MOUNTAINS, ‘WAVES,’ DUE OUT MAY 10 ON TRIPLE CROWN RECORDS

2011-03-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

MOVING MOUNTAINS

PRE-ORDER STARTS TODAY

OF NEW ALBUM, ‘WAVES,’

DUE OUT MAY 10 ON TRIPLE CROWN RECORDS

March 22, 2011 -- The Merchdirect.com Official Moving Mountains pre-sale is underway for WAVES, the forthcoming album by MOVING MOUNTAINS which is due out May 10 on Triple Crown Records. It can be found here: http://bit.ly/fTLMRE.

Like their previous works, PNEUMA and FOREWORD before it, the album was recorded and produced by singer/guitarist Gregory Dunn at the band’s home studio in Westchester, NY. It was mixed by Matt Goldman (Underoath, Copeland, Anberlin), mastered by longtime MOVING MOUNTAINS collaborator Mike Kalajian and features an appearance by Kenny Bridges from Moneen on the song "The Cascade."

“When the band first started, a very close friend of mine died,” he continues. “That was the motivation to for all the lyrics on PNEUMAPNEUMA,FOREWORD and now this new album have all been about that…being young and having people around you die, which when you’re young it’s a very strange thing. A lot of it is also my struggle with understanding faith and existence...and just about questioning those ideas--and most importantly--how to overcome that to appreciate what you have,” continues Dunn. (2008 – Deep Elm Records). They’re very figurative and overly metaphorical, because I was embarrassed to talk about it at that time. With this new album, I said to myself that it's the last time that I’m going to write about it, so I’m going to be really blunt, honest and straightforward about the subject.

Tim Karan at Alternative Press magazine recently took to Twitter to post his thoughts about WAVES: “I was THIS close to giving up on music and instead focusing on learning Portuguese. Then I heard the new @MovMou album. I'm back in.”

The band--Gregory Dunn (guitar/vocals), Mitchell Lee (bass), Frank Graniero (guitar/vocals), Nicholas Pizzolato (drums)—performed three shows at SXSW last week, where they played to capacity crowds and won new fans over at every stop. Next up for MOVING MOUNTAINS is an appearance at the Warped Tour Kick Off Party along with The Wonder Years, MC Lars, and Lionize on Friday, March 25 at House of Vans in Brooklyn, NY. Wristbands for the free event are available at five Vans stores in NY and NJ. Click here for more details: http://vanswarpedtour.com/blog/id/1844448.

Stay tuned for more tour dates…