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

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

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

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

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

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

Free Yr Radio 2009 festivals and partner stations include:

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

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

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

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

VIC CHESNUTT CONFIRMS FALL TOUR DATES IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHERE: ALL POINTS WEST
West Jersey City, NJ

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

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

WHO: Justice Records’ recording artist, ELECTRIC TOUCH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL - Coming soon!

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

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