Monday, October 31, 2005

Weezer's Cuomo Heading Back to Harvard


Weezer
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is heading back to Harvard University in February, with plans to graduate in June with a degree in English, according to a recent chat session on AOL Music.

Cuomo returned to Harvard at the beginning of the year after an eight-year-hiatus, but has spent the bulk of 2005 recording and touring in support of Weezer's latest Geffen album, "Make Believe."

The group is winding down its fall outing with Foo Fighters, after which it will play seven shows in Japan through December 22 in Tokyo. It is unclear if there will be any activity in the Weezer camp next year while Cuomo is back at school.

During the chat, Cuomo revealed further details about his devotion to meditation as well as his vow of celibacy, which he began June 13, 2003.

"I decided to try celibacy because I heard it would help the meditation, and I tried meditation because I heard it would help with the music," he said. "So, it all really comes back to the music.

"Listen to 'Make Believe' and compare it to the previous album, 'Maladroit,"' he continued. "I know I can hear a difference in my singing. My voice just sounds much more sensitive and dynamic now. I also notice a difference in the lyrics. I'm much more open and communicative about my emotions now."

Cuomo said he believes his own personal transformation has rubbed off on the other members of Weezer.

"You might wonder what my meditation practice has to do with the other members' contributions, but I think my meditation has allowed me to be a better collaborator in the studio," he said. "I don't have so much fear that I won't get my way. I don't have so much anger if people have opposing opinions and generally I'm much more happy and comfortable in collaborative situations. So I think the guys finally got an opportunity to really shine on this album."

"Make Believe," boosted by the singles "Beverly Hills" and "We Are All On Drugs," has shifted 790,000 copies in the United States since its May release, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a significant improvement over 2002's "Maladroit," which has sold 590,000 to date.

source: aol


Lennon's Abbey Road suit sold off


Lennon's suit
The white suit worn by John Lennon on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album sold for $118,000 (£66,385) at an auction in Las Vegas.
An Austin Princess hearse driven by the late star in the documentary Imagine reached a bid of $150,000 (£84,388).

The sale also included a 1961 appointment book of Marilyn Monroe, which sold for $16,000 (£9,000).

Lennon wore his white suit on the album cover where the Fab Four are on a pedestrian crossing for the 1969 album.

Although all sorts of theories were raised as to the significance of the outfits worn by the band on the photoshoot it turned out the four just posed in what they had been wearing on the day.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Lennon items will go to campaign group Amnesty International.

A headdress worn by actress Elizabeth Taylor in the movie Cleopatra went for $13,000 (£7,594).
The floral decoration was put up for sale by Taylor's friend Debbie Reynolds, who starred in Singin' in the Rain.

Lennon's car was bought by Japanese entertainer Princess Tenko, who has a Vegas magic show.

Used in a 1973 film, the 1953 hearse has the personal license plate "EMAJN".

source: bbc

More dates, openers from The (International) Noise Conspiracy


The (International) Noise Conspiracy
American Recordings act The (International) Noise Conspiracy have announced more dates and openers for their upcoming Winter tour beginning in November and taking the band through the United States and Canada.

The group will be joined on the tour by a variety of acts, including Nightmare Of You, Danko Jones, These Arms Are Snakes and Circa Survive. They will also be opening for My Chemical Romance in Seattle, WA on December 11th.

The band is touring in support of the long-delayed release of Armed Love. It is their first new full length release since 2001's A New Morning Changing Weather though the band did release the Bigger Cages, Longer Chains EP in the intervening years. As well, frontman Denis Lyxzen released his third solo record, The Lost Patrol Band this year.

In related news, the band recently announced that it would be swapping erroneously pressed copies of Armed Love which included an edited version of the first single, "A Small Demand." Information on obtaining an unedited version of the album can be found on the band's website.

Tour Dates

November 23, 2005 Baltimore, MD United States Ottobar The Whips, Nightmare Of You, Danko Jones
November 24, 2005 Carrboro, NC United States Cat's Cradle Danko Jones
November 25, 2005 Atlanta, GA United States Vinyl Nightmare Of You, Danko Jones
November 26, 2005 Tampa, FL United States The Orpheum Nightmare Of You, Danko Jones
November 27, 2005 Orlando, FL United States The Social Dave Dondero, Nightmare Of You, Danko Jones
November 28, 2005 Tallahassee, FL United States The Beta Bar Nightmare Of You, Danko Jones
November 30, 2005 Houston, TX United States Walter's On Washington Nightmare Of You, Danko Jones
December 1, 2005 Austin, TX United States Emo's Nightmare Of You, Danko Jones
December 3, 2005 Tempe, AZ United States The Clubhouse Music Venue Stereotyperider, Nightmare Of You, These Arms Are Snakes
December 4, 2005 San Diego, CA United States Soma Nightmare Of You, These Arms Are Snakes
December 5, 2005 Los Angeles, CA United States Troubadour American Eyes, Nightmare Of You, These Arms Are Snakes
December 6, 2005 Anaheim, CA United States Chain Reaction Nightmare Of You, These Arms Are Snake
December 7, 2005 San Francisco, CA United States Slim's Nightmare Of You, These Arms Are Snakes
December 8, 2005 Sacramento, CA United States Boardwalk Nightmare Of You, These Arms Are Snakes
December 9, 2005 Portland, OR United States Hawthorne Theatre Nightmare Of You, These Arms Are Snakes
December 10, 2005 Vancouver, BC Canada Red Room Nightmare Of You, These Arms Are Snakes
December 11, 2005 Seattle, WA United States The Premier My Chemical Romance, Circa Survive
December 13, 2005 Salt Lake City United States In The Venue Nightmare Of You, Circa Survive
December 14, 2005 Denver, CO United States Rock Island Nightmare Of You, Circa Survive
December 16, 2005 Chicago, IL United States Beat Kitchen Nightmare Of You, Circa Survive
December 17, 2005 Detroit, MI United States Alvin's The Nice Device, Nightmare Of You, Circa Survive
December 18, 2005 Cleveland, OH United States Grog Shop Nightmare Of You, Circa Survive
December 19, 2005 Pittsburgh, PA United States Mr Small's Theatre Nightmare Of You, Circa Survive

source: punknews

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Delay Release Of Next UK Single


Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have delayed the release of their next single in the UK for unknown reasons.

‘Weight Of The World’ will now be released next year, a statement from the band reads: “There has been a slight change in plan with regards to the release of the new single - Weight Of The World. The single will now be released in the UK in early 2006. A solid date has not yet been confirmed.”

It adds: “It will, however, still be released as planned in the rest of Europe on October 31st. The video, which was recently recorded in Toronto, is complete and looking great!”

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are about to embark on a European tour that will see them play London’s Astoria on November 22.

source: gigwise

Franz Ferdinand Reveal Single Details


Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand have covered French electronic maestros Air for their forthcoming single.

The CD single of ‘Walk Away’, released on December 5, comes complete with a version of the 1998 track ‘Sexy Boy.’

The single also comes as a 7”, backed by and acoustic version of ‘Do You Want To’ and a DVD which features the ‘Walk Away’ video and making of, and ‘This Boy’ live in Edinburgh.

‘Walk Away’ is the second single to be lifted from Franz’ number one album ‘You Could Have It So Much Better.’

source: cmj

see the Franz Ferdinand "You Could Have It So Much Better" review on ROCK-REV

Bad Religion DVD Gets Release Date


Bad Religion
The much-heralded Bad Religion DVD is finally getting a release.

The Los Angeles punk band’s Live at the Palladium is set for a Feb. 20 release.

The video culls moments from a pair of shows in the Los Angeles venue, filmed earlier this year.

In addition to the live set, the album also features interviews with the band, footage from its 1981-1983 era and other odds and ends.

Live at the Palladium follows up 2004’s The Empire Strikes First. No track listing for the DVD has been released.

source: aversion

Wilco Eyeing 2006 For New Studio Album


Wilco
With its first live album, "Kicking Television," about to hit stores next month via Nonesuch, Wilco is well into the writing process for its next studio set, which the band hopes will be released sometime next year.

Frontman Jeff Tweedy tells Billboard Wilco has worked up 13 new tunes already. "There's an enormous amount of excitement in the band about the recording," he says.

"We did some recording before we went to Europe, and we have time scheduled in December and throughout the winter," he adds. "There's no schedule in terms of when something might come out. We all have high hopes we'll be able to get something out next year, and sooner than later."

The new album, which will be the follow-up to 2004's "A Ghost Is Born," will be the first to feature new members Nels Cline (guitar) and Pat Sansone (keyboards, guitar), who joined up shortly after that set's release. The six-piece incarnation of Wilco makes its recorded debut on "Kicking Television," which chronicles a four-night May stand at the Vic Theatre in the band's Chicago hometown.

"What we've done already is basically record in our own studio," Tweedy says. "We set up without headphones in a circle and roll tape based on us trying to get ourselves balanced as much as possible, without using the mixing console."

Two of the tunes from this first batch of material, "I'm Talking to Myself About You" and the tentatively titled "On and On and On and On," have been receiving stage time during recent shows. Tweedy says the former is "about as straightforward and as dumb as anything I've ever written, but musically it's really exciting and fun to play."

source: billboard

Big Day Out tickets snapped up in record time


The Magic Numbers
The Sydney leg of the event is sold out

Tickets for the Australasian Big Day Out festival have been snapped up in record time.

The Sydney leg of the event, which will see Franz Ferdinand, The White Stripes, Iggy & The Stooges, The Magic Numbers and Kings of Leon play at the city's Showground on January 26, has already sold out in just two weeks

However, in an attempt to combat touts, a limited weekly release of tickets will be available through the festival's website www.bigdayout.com.

Tickets will be released at the rate of 500 per week for 10 weeks, starting on November 3.

Dates for the 2006 Big Day Out are as follows

Auckland Ericsson Stadium (January 20)
Gold Coast Parklands (22)
Sydney Showground (26)
Melbourne Princes Park (29)
Adelaide Royal Showground (February 3)
Perth Claremont Showgrounds (5)

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Sigur Ros Burns Through the Gloom


Sigur Ros
The music of Icelandic band Sigur Ros (*) music has often been compared to the vast and dreamy landscape of their homeland. Its sound, sparse and yet sweeping, imparted visions of endless snowfields broken only by glaciers and the occasional volcano.

The fact that vocalist Jonsi Birgisson sings in a fanciful form of Icelandic -- and in an aching falsetto -- only made Sigur Ros' music the more ethereal to the group's legions of devoted fans.

At its most extreme, the group's penchant for gloomy discursions and songs that went well into double-digits sometimes made them a taste for the initiated.

While Birgisson and his mates have ensured their art-rock status as they've evolved, their new songs show a resolve to burn through the gloom -- with horns, with strings, and with melody. Their efforts are also reflected in a new sense of conciseness, as several songs come in at less than five minutes long.

The band's latest CD is called Takk. An overt album name is a welcome return for many fans of this understated group, whose previous release had the unpronounceable title.

source: npr

(*) see the reviews of Sigur Ros "Takk" on ROCK-REV

Bob Geldof To Receive Nobel Honour


Bob Geldof
It's pretty much official: although the winner of the 2005 Nobel Man Of Peace award won't be announced until November 24 in Rome, Bob Geldof was told he won the award at the Live 8 DVD launch.

NME.com reports the Live 8 DVD, which will be released on November 7, was screened at the Vue cinema in Leicester Square in London Thursday night. Geldof humbly accepted his Nobel title, saying, "I am overwhelmed and proud. It's more than an honour, it's almost ridiculous. It's almost too big. That's fucking big. I feel weird."

Geldof's Live 8 shows in early July rose awareness worldwide of the G8 summit in Scotland. The eight world leaders at the summit agreed to increase African aid from $25 billion to $50 billion and forgive the debt owed by 18 of the poorest countries in Africa, in an effort to save countless citizens of those nations from poverty and disease.

Previous living Nobel Peace Prize winners vote for the winner of the Nobel Man Of Peace. They voted Geldof based on "his unflagging work and powerful voice on behalf of the poor of Africa over the last 20 years and in particular the last 12 months."

It was previously reported that Geldof's odds of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, a different distinction than the Man Of Peace Award, were fairly close to those of U2's Bono. In the end, that prize went to Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei and his International Atomic Energy Agency.

source: chartattack

Gorillaz live secrets revealed


Gorillaz
Damon Albarn talks about next week's live shows

Damon Albarn has spoken about next week's Gorillaz live shows - which will see the band attempt to recreate the animated characters in 3-D live on stage.

Speaking this morning, the Gorillaz creator said that the shows at the Manchester Opera House (November 1-5) will break new ground.

He said: "It is the only time we're ever going to play this record in its entirety. We felt that 'Demon Days' was such a complete record that it could really be played in one sitting. Almost in the same way you'd recreate a film score."

Speaking to Radio 4 the singer said that up to 80 performers will be on stage each night. He continued: "The children's choir is 30, the gospel choir is 20, 15 strings, the guests, and then a core band of seven. You're not going to be able to see (the core band) on stage, the whole thing would be pointless to do a conventional concert.

"We're doing something that has never been done before where we're getting 3-D animation on stage, with people, so we're in the middle of a technical, logistical nightmare with that. And it might, or might not work. If it works it's going to be very magic."

'Demon Days' is the band's second album.

source: nme

Broadcast Launch North American Tour


Broadcast
Outer space never sounds quite so sexy as when Trish Keenan and James Cargill, the remaining members of UK moon-shooters Broadcast, do their sci-fi-electro-ambient-clatter-pop thing for all the cosmic club kids. Charged about touting their latest LP, the skittish Tender Buttons, Keenan and Cargill embark today on a 21-date trek across the U.S. and Canada.

The Warp Records mainstays will literally carve an ellipse of electronic bliss into North America on this tour, which begins and ends in California. By the time this trip is over, the buttons onBroadcast's keyboards & synths should be plenty tender. Wow, that's terrible. Brooding folksters and labelmates Gravenhurst (supporting the just-released Fires in Distant Buildings) join them for all dates.

Experience the noise made by Broadcast:

10-27 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar *
10-28 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall *
10-29 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge *
10-30 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *
10-31 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Red Room *
11-03 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock *
11-04 Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub *
11-05 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick *
11-06 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace *
11-07 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret Music Hall *
11-08 Boston, MA - Paradise *
11-10 New York City, NY - Webster Hall *
11-11 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church Sanctuary *
11-12 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
11-13 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle *
11-14 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
11-16 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's Fat Cat *
11-17 Austin, TX - The Parish *
11-18 Denton, TX - Hailey's *
11-20 San Diego, CA - The Casbah *
11-21 Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour *

* with Gravenhurst

source: pitchfork

New Pornographers' Bassist's Appendix Explodes / Neko Case Preps New LP


Neko Case
Singer-songwriter, Neko Case has finished recording her first studio solo album since 2002. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is scheduled to come out March 7 on Anti- Records.

A variety of musicians will contribute on the new LP — Garth Hudson of The Band, Kelly Hogan, The Sadies, Howe Gelb of Giant Sand and Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico.

This album will be Case's first studio work since 2002's Blacklisted. She released a live album, The Tigers Have Spoken, last year. She plans to tour the new album in North America early next year.

Case has been touring with The New Pornographers and when she gets back from playing a couple dates with them in the U.K. she'll play a couple of solo shows in the U.S.

The New Pornographers, meanwhile, lost bassist John Collins for the time being to an exploding appendix after their sold-out Chicago show on October 20. The band were forced to cancel the remaining two dates of their North American tour, both in Minneapolis.

There is no word from the band's Canadian label, Mint Records, on whether or not Collins will be able to make the trip to the U.K. next week.

New Pornographers


source: chartattack

Moby Recording A Bunch Of Punk Rock Songs


Moby
Moby posted on the journal of his official website on Thursday (October 27): "Today I'm going into a studio to record a bunch of punk rock songs.

See, over the last year I've written lots and lots of punk rock songs, and now I'm going to record them with Scott. Should be fun. I'm also making another Voodoo Child record.

So, punk rock record and Voodoo Child record. And I have no idea when/if they'll ever be released.

Eh, if we don't release them you can always come by Teany [Moby's vegan restaurant] and I'll make copies for you." He added, "The punk rock songs are definitely in the 'fun but very rough' camp of punk rock songs.

And the Voodoo Child songs are very melodic and electronic and experimental, and not exactly club-classic floor-fillers."

source: rockdirt

Will Oldham Gets Live In November


Will Oldham
Sea Note will drop the first live record from bearded royalty Bonnie "Prince" Billy, a.k.a. Will Oldham, (or Palace, if you're nasty) on November 15. Summer In The Southeast's 17 tracks come from Oldham's Bonnie "Prince" Billy incarnation, but Palace is also represented on a track or two as well. The album's live tracks were selected from his Southeast tour last year (natch) that started in Denton, Texas and ended in Wilmington, North Carolina.

In other Princely news, Oldham's covers record with Chicago's Tortoise, The Brave And The Bold will drop early next year on Overcoat Recordings. The idea for the album of diverse covers reportedly began as a joke between Oldham and the owner of Overcoat Recordings, Howard Greynolds. Now that Tortoise is involved in said joke, the humor will be much more improvised and take about 20 minutes to get to the (post-rock) punchline.

Tracklist for Summer In The Southeast:

01. Master and Everyone
02. Pushkin
03. Blokbuster
04. Wolf Among Wolves
05. May It Always Be
06. Break of Day
07. A Sucker's Evening
08. Nomadic Revery
09. I See A Darkness
10. O Let It Be
11. Beast For Thee
12. Death To Everyone
13. Even If Love
14. I Send My Love To You
15. Take However Long You Want
16. Madeleine Mary
17. Ease Down The Road

Tracklist for The Brave And The Bold:

01. Daniel (Elton John)
02. The Calvary Cross (Richard Thompson)
03. That's Pep! (Devo)
04. It's Expected I'm Gone (the Minutemen)
05. Cravo e Canela (Milton Nascimento)
06. Some Say (I Got Devil) (Melanie)
07. Pancho (Don Williams)
08. Love Is Love (Lungfish)
09. On My Own (Quix*o*tic)
10. Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen)

source: cmj

Beck Announces Release Date, Tracklist for Remix Album


Beck
Hell yes! December 13 marks the release of Guerolito, a remix companion to Beck's ambitious 2005 effort Guero, and just in time for Christmukkah.

With a killer list of remixers that read as diversely as Beck's discography, Boards Of Canada, Air, Ad Rock, and El-P are just a few of the groundbreaking artists who offered their talents to shed new light on Beck's already refreshingly original sound.

The track listing for Guerolito:

E-Pro - remix by Homelife
Que Onda Guero - remix by Islands
Girl - remix by Octet
Missing - remix by Air
Black Tambourine - remix by Adrock (Beastie Boys)
Earthquake Weather - remix by Mario C
Hell Yes - remix by 8-Bit
Broken Drum - remix by Boards of Canada
Scarecrow - remix by El-P
Go It Alone - remix by Superthriller
Farewell Ride - remix by Subtle
Rental Car - remix by John King (Dust Brothers)
Emergency Exit - remix by Th' Corn Gangg
Clap Hands - remix by Beck

Remaining tour dates:

October
27 San Diego, CA - Rimac Arena, UCSD *
28 Phoenix, AZ - Veterans Memorial Coliseum Arizona State Fair & Exposition*
30 Las Vegas, NV - Sam Boyd Stadium Vegoose Festival

*with Islands (ex-Unicorns)

source: filtermag

Saturday, October 29, 2005

System of a Down Get Dark


System of a Down
Dark rockers set to bow second half of "Mezmerize"/"Hypnotize" opus

On November 22nd System of a Down will release Hypnotize, the companion album to Mezmerize, which stormed to the top of the chart in May. "We don't look at them as two records, we look at them as one record," says guitarist and songwriter Daron Malakian. "It feels like people haven't heard the whole album yet."

Hypnotize is essentially the missing half of the last album, completing it both musically and artistically with unifying artwork and tracks. Hypnotize's closer, "Soldier Side," for instance, finishes "Soldier Side Intro," Mezmerize's opener. The two combined make for a brooding, politically charged opus. System recorded Hypnotize at the same time as Mezmerize and, like its predecessor, it's full of apocalyptic anti-war lyrics paired with guided-missile guitar riffs and exotic melodies.

"I can't say I sat down and tried to make a dark record," says Malakian. "I guess you could say it's a reflection of the times."

But in the spirit of Mezmerize's "B.Y.O.B.," the band's catchiest song ever, there are some surprisingly pop-friendly moments, including the heart-baring ballad "Lonely Day." "I used to be more focused on 'Let's get it heavy,'" says Malakian. "Now I'm more focused on 'Let's get some emotion out.'"

System of a Down -- who just finished their late fall tour with openers the Mars Volta -- are set to perform next at the MTV Europe Awards on November 3rd in Lisbon, Portugal. The video for the title track and first single off Hypnotize will air on both the band's Web site and MTV beginning November 1st.

source: rollingstone

Deerhoof's Runners Four On Vinyl


Deerhoof
Cuddly spazz-pop-turned-indie-pop quartet Deerhoof (*) will release a vinyl edition of their latest record, The Runners Four, on their own label.

In an email to CMJ, guitarist Chris Cohen said that while the band is still searching for a distributor, the record will definitely be pressed and ready to go by mid-December.

According to the band's publicist, the double gatefold LP (with vinyl-exclusive artwork) will be released under the "Children Of The Hoof Music" label.

The Runners Four will have an initial pressing of 1,100 copies, which means it should be easy enough to pick up a copy for each milkperson on your shopping list, though Kill Rock Stars reports that the band plans on selling most copies of the record out on the road.

Deerhoof still have tour dates posted for North America in November.

Tour Dates:

10/28 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
11/08 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
11/09 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon
11/10 - Oklahoma City, OK - Conservatory
11/11 - Denton, TX - Hailey's
11/12 - Houston, TX - Proletariat
11/14 - Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
11/15 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under
11/17 - Orlando, FL - Will's Pub
11/19 - Austin, TX - Emos
11/21 - Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
11/22 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo
11/23 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo (early show)

source: cmj

(*) see the reviews of Deerhoof "The Runners Four" on ROCK-REV

Ryan Adams Sets Release Date for New Album


Ryan Adams
Can it be that a whole month has gone by without a mention of Ryan Adams in this here news section? And the last tidbit we reported was merely his participation in a Katrina relief benefit concert? Crazy!

Well, the man who put the "r" in "pRolific" isn't going to let the rest of 2005 pass in silence. Most notable on Adams' year-end slate is the December release of his third and (possibly) final full-length of the year, 29. The LP stocking stuffer is presently in the can, and now sports a firm release date of December 20.

We've chronicled 29's development from larvae to pupa to caterpillar to beautiful butterfly throughout the year. In a July Pitchfork interview with Amanda Petrusich, Adams described the album like so:

"That one's really fucked up. It has nine songs, and all the songs are nine minutes long, they're all story-songs. And it's basically just me and a piano, me and a guitar, with [producer] Ethan [Johns]. It's really cerebral. The theme of it was that I wanted to write a record where I could write myself out of my twenties.

So for each year of my life, in my twenties, I kind of assigned different parts of my character, I gave them names. The last song is a song from the perspective, believe it or not, of a ghost. When it's just passed out of a body, and it goes 'Don't go to the light/ I'll show you how to haunt.' This spirit is trying to conjure this dead child, this dead person, back to the house where they died. So they can haunt it. It's really fucked up."

We guess that means it's fucked up.

Adams also has a few live dates on the horizon. Fist, he'll perform at this weekend's Vegoose fest in Las Vegas, appearing with the ever-Grateful Phil Lesh and Friends. Then, alongside trusty sidekicks The Cardinals, he'll open for a pair of mid-November Willie Nelson shows at the Beacon Theater in New York City, before closing out with a free show during the Wall Street Rising series of free concerts at NYC's Tribeca Performing Arts Center.

Sin City/Big Apple Nights:

10-29 Las Vegas, NV - Vegoose Festival*
11-16 New York, NY - Beacon Theater #
11-17 New York, NY - Beacon Theater #
11-18 New York, NY - Tribeca Performing Arts Center

* with Phil Lesh and Friends
# with Willie Nelson

And finally, the denim-clad troubadour has a couple of TV appearances scheduled for the coming months. On November 28, he's expected to perform the Heartbreaker classic "Come Pick Me Up" on "The Late Show With David Letterman". Why that oldie? Because it's on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe's new movie Elizabethtown, that's why. An unreleased Adams track, "Words", appears in the film, but didn't make the soundtrack disc. A Ryan Adams and the Cardinals "Austin City Limits" set will debut on PBS on January 21, so set your TiVo now.

source: pitchfork

Accept Guitarist To Play One-Off Concert With Sebastian Bach


Wolf Hoffman
Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffman has agreed to join former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach's solo band for a one-time-only appearance at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 26.

Hoffman accepted the offer to play the show during Sebastian's live appearance on Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio program on New York's Q104.3 FM this past Friday (October 28).

Bach's regular guitarist, "Metal" Mike Chlasciak, is unable to make this one performance, and being that Sebastian was in a pinch to find a guitar player fill-in, he brainstormed with Trunk live on the air over who could possibly be available to take over on guitar on such short notice.

The always-resourceful Trunk drummed up and produced Wolf Hoffman's phone number and they spoke live on the air.

Wolf was at home in Tennessee practicing his guitar when his phone rang and played some classic ACCEPT riffs live on-air while Bach sang Udo Dirkschneider's vocal parts. In addition to Bach, the Mid-Hudson Civic Center show will feature performances by TWISTED SISTER, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and GEORGE LYNCH.

source: blabbermouth

Pulp singer's Jarvis Cocker breaks his silence


Jarvis Cocker
Pulp singer bears his soul on TV

Jarvis Cocker gives a rare television interview tonight (October 28).

The Pulp singer, who has been absent from public life in recent years, breaks his silence in an interview with Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, broadcast at 10pm on BBC4.

Cocker tells Wark: "The celebrity thing is a big factor, a big myth in our society. I think it's almost like, without getting too pompous about it, it's almost like something to believe in, isn't it, it's like heaven, it's like believing in going to heaven, it's like thinking 'God, if I get famous, everything is going to be alright'."

And of the state of contemporary politics, Cocker reckons, "I would just like something a bit more alive.

You know, it's like the nearest thing to an act if social insurrection recently was people scrapping outside Ikea because they had cheap leather settees. Now I think that's sad - that that's what gets people worked up, a cheap settee."

He also talks openly about his "personal meltdown" following his rise to fame, and his intriguing involvement in the new Harry Potter film.

source: nme

Deep Purple Resurrect 70s Concert for DVD


Deep Purple
Deep Purple has unearthed yet another one of their classic 70s concerts.

EMI is about to release Live In California 74, from the tour where the band debuted singer David Coverdale.



Live in California was recorded at the California Jam Festival at the Ontario Speedway in California in front of 200,000 fans.

The band had just released the ‘Burn’ album, Coverdale’s debut with the band after the departure of Ian Gillan.

The line-up for the tour was:

Deep Purple Mk 3
Ritchie Blackmore: Guitar
David Coverdale: Vocals
Glenn Hughes: Bass/Vocals
Jon Lord: Keyboards
Ian Paice: Drums

The DVD Tracklisting:
1. Burn
2. Might Just Take Your Time
3. Lay Down, Stay Down
4. Mistreated
5. Smoke On The Water
6. You Fool No One
7. Space Truckin'

source: undercover

Nick Cave names 2006 solo dates


Nick Cave
The Bad Seeds frontman will hit the road from late January.

Nick Cave has slated a series of solo dates for early 2006 without the Bad Seeds.

The iconic Australian singer/songwriter, who recently completed the score to his self-penned feature film 'The Proposition' [read: Jay-Z takes control at Def Jam], will play seven dates in total with his solo band of Warren Ellis (violin), Martyn Casey (bass) and Jim Sclavunos (drums).

It is unclear if any new tracks will be aired - his label, Mute Records, simply confirm the shows will give his fans the chance to see Nick Cave in venues not possible with a full band.

Dates are:

January 2006
30 - Birmingham Symphony Hall
31 - Cambridge Corn Exchange

February 2006
1 - Nottingham Royal Centre
2 - London Apollo Victoria
4 - Edinburgh Playhouse
5 - Glasgow Concert Hall
6 - Manchester Bridgewater Hall

source: soundgenerator

Snow Patrol Making Progress On New CD


Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol has completed primary recording of eight songs for its next Interscope album, frontman Gary Lightbody wrote in a post on the band's Web site. The group had been recording in Scotland up to this point but studio sessions will continue next week in London.

"Most of the titles will change as I'm still tinkering with lyrics. so to give you song names now would just be confusing," Lightbody says. "One that hasn't changed is 'Chasing Cars,' which we played on our last U.S. tour and the shows we did with U2 and in Ireland, so some of you may know it. It's sounding pretty big."

The group is working again with producer Garret Lee, who was behind the boards for the 2003 breakthrough album "Final Straw." The set has sold more than 451,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and featured the single "Run," which reached No. 15 on Billboard's Modern Rock airplay chart.

"The whole thing is bigger and bolder except the quiet ones, which are as fragile as sugar paper," Lightbody said. "Paul [Wilson]'s bass is terrifying (in a good way) and Jonny [Quinn]'s drums, well, we don't call him thunderclap for nothing, or at all, but if we did it'd be appropriate."

source: billboard

Friday, October 28, 2005

Low Loses Bassist


Zak Sally
Low bassist Zak Sally has walked away from his band.

Sally's replacement, Matt Livingston, has already stepped in to fill his shoes. Sally's departure from the act seems amicible, and his motivations remain unclear.

"While I wish the best for Alan and Mimi (and Hollis and Cyrus), I can no longer be a member of the band," Sally said in a statement on the band's web site. "I sincerely hope that someday we can sit in the basement and make music together, but for now, there are more important things than music. Or bands.

On a personal level, I can't hope to express what the folks that have helped, supported, and listened during my 12 year tenure in Low have meant to me. This band has been my entire adult life, and I had a hell of a ride. Thanks for everything."

Low pledged to tour next year as well as begin working on the follow-up to this year's The Great Destroyer (Sub Pop)

source: aversion

Wilco Eyeing 2006 For New Studio Album


Wilco
With its first live album, "Kicking Television," about to hit stores next month via Nonesuch, Wilco is well into the writing process for its next studio set, which the band hopes will be released sometime next year. Frontman Jeff Tweedy tells Billboard.com Wilco has worked up 13 new tunes already. "There's an enormous amount of excitement in the band about the recording," he says.

"We did some recording before we went to Europe, and we have time scheduled in December and throughout the winter," he adds. "There's no schedule in terms of when something might come out. We all have high hopes we'll be able to get something out next year, and sooner than later."

The new album, which will be the follow-up to 2004's "A Ghost Is Born," will be the first to feature new members Nels Cline (guitar) and Pat Sansone (keyboards, guitar), who joined up shortly after that set's release. The six-piece incarnation of Wilco makes its recorded debut on "Kicking Television," which chronicles a four-night May stand at the Vic Theatre in the band's Chicago hometown.

"What we've done already is basically record in our own studio," Tweedy says. "We set up without headphones in a circle and roll tape based on us trying to get ourselves balanced as much as possible, without using the mixing console."

Two of the tunes from this first batch of material, "I'm Talking to Myself About You" and the tentatively titled "On and On and On and On," have been receiving stage time during recent shows. Tweedy says the former is "about as straightforward and as dumb as anything I've ever written, but musically it's really exciting and fun to play."

The artist adds that while Chicago seemed like a logical place to record, he initially failed to take into consideration that "we'd played a lot of these songs for these people like 7,000 times. How were we going to make this exciting?"

"Luckily it didn't end up being a problem. But in hindsight, maybe it would have been a good idea to record our first show in Tulsa or something," he adds with a laugh.

The only show on Wilco's schedule for the time being is a Tuesday (Nov. 1) benefit for hurricane victims at the Vic in Chicago. Afterward, Tweedy will play a host of mostly U.S. solo dates through Nov. 22 in London.

source: billboard

Belle & Sebastian name new album


Belle & Sebastian
It's out in February

Belle & Sebastian have named their new album 'The Life Pursuit'.

The follow-up to 2003's Mercury-nominated 'Dear Catastrophe Waitress' is out on February 6.

The spent the summer in Los Angeles' Sunset Sound studios with Beck producer Tony Hoffer working on the record.

Singer Stuart Murdoch told NME the seven-piece group threw out their regular instruments as part of the writing process for the new album.

He revealed: "The process of making the record has been amazing. The last record had quite a few older songs on it because we were working with Trevor (Horn) and we wanted to give them a proper go with big arrangements. This record is all new songs - 18 of them - so it's all very current. It's us pretty much writing in a circle and writing within the group."

Working titles include 'Song For Sunshine', 'Funny Little Frog', 'Sukie In The Graveyard', 'Another Sunny Day', 'Act Of The Apostle Part I' and 'A White Collared Boy'.

source: nme

Constantines And Wolf Parade Reorganize After Sleater-Kinney Postponement

Sleater-KinneyDue to a serious medical emergency, Sleater-Kinney (*) have had to postpone their two-week European tour, which was slated to begin on November 8.

Guitarist/singer Carrie Brownstein was admitted to the hospital twice with severe allergic reactions and has to take tests to find out what exactly caused them.

"[Brownstein's] doctor has advised that she not travel/tour for prolonged periods of time until the condition stabilizes and further tests are conducted," the band said in a statement. "The band apologizes to all the people that this cancellation affects."

Sleater-Kinney are still slated to perform at the Big Day Out festival in Australia, which takes place in early 2006. They're also curating part of the second weekend of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in the U.K., which takes place from May 19-21.

The cancellation comes as bad news to two Canadian Sub Pop groups: Constantines and Wolf Parade.

The Cons were scheduled to perform five dates in the U.K. with S-K at the beginning of the tour. They're still heading to the U.K., instead playing a series of headlining shows. Wolf Parade were supposed to play four dates in Germany and France with the Portland trio. They'll still play a series of dates in Germany, but their date in Paris has not been rescheduled as of yet.

source: chartattack

(*) see the Sleater-Kinney "The Woods" reviews on Rock-Rev

Patrick Wolf let off weird charges


Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf has been cleared of all involvement in a bizarre incident at his former home, PlayLouder is pleased ro report.

Patrick has been arrested and released on bail for burglary (although he was never charged of any crime) after a neighbour accused him of stealing some jewellry from her Wandsworth home back in 2004.

According to a statement, the police have admitted it was an unfair cop, have paid all his legal fees, and issued an apology to the singer.

This means that the remainder of Patrick's dates supporting Bloc Party, and his special Halloween concert in London on Monday, will be extra jolly events. Yes

source: playlouder

U2 Dedicate Songs To Rosa Parks


Rosa Parks
U2 dedicated a number of songs to American civil rights icon Rosa Parks during their show in Detroit on Wednesday.

Before the song ‘One’ Bono said of Parks that 'because of her quiet dignity and strength, America became a better, changed country. This song is dedicated to the mother of American civil rights movement Rosa Parks God Bless you in your rest’.

Then as the band launched into ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ he compared Parks to another legendary civil rights icon saying 'From Rosa Parks in America to Nelson Mandela in Africa'.

They also dedicated ‘Pride (In The Name Of Love)’ reports U2’s official website. Parks made history in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama when she refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man as was the law at the time.

She became one of the icons of the American civil rights movement starting a boycott of all public transport in the town. She passed away this week aged 92.

source: gigwise

Neko Case Wraps Up Next Solo Album


Neko Case
Canadian chanteuse Neko Case has set a March 7 release date for her next solo album, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood." The Anti- set features guest appearances by the Band's Garth Hudson, the Sadies, Kelly Hogan, Giant Sand leader Howe Gelb, and, as first reported here, Calexico principals Joey Burns and John Convertino.

"Being a good producer means you have to have a saint's patience, which does not occur in me naturally," Case says of her role as co-producer. "I had to generate some temporarily, and I think it worked out in the end."
"Flood" is the follow-up to Case's 2002 studio effort "Blacklisted," which debuted at No. 31 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Last year, she issued a live collection, "The Tigers Have Spoken," which opened at No. 14 on the Heatseekers tally.

Case will resume touring with the New Pornographers Tuesday (Nov. 1) in London. A solo tour is being eyed for early next year, but beforehand, she will perform two shows Nov. 17 at New York's Joe's Pub and Nov. 21 at Los Angeles' Barnsdall Gallery Theater.

Source billboard

Arctic Monkeys diss 'annoying' Kaiser Chiefs

There'll be tears before bedtime

Arctic Monkeys have sensationally hit out at Kaiser Chiefs.

The Number One chart stars claim that their status at the forefront of UK pop is leading to comparisons - and frontman Alex Turner isn't happy.

And says he'll quit if their career goes the same way next year.

Talking to Irish magazine Brat, Turner said: "I think if we're next year's Kaiser Chiefs, we'll quit. I don't like being associated with them. I don't think they had the same following as us last year. I suppose they've sold a lot of records, but I don't like them. They're a bit annoying.

"On gig posters people have put - 'Arctic Monkeys here on this date, just think the Kaiser Chiefs and you're nearly there'. That's just thick isn't it? It winds me up."

But Alex has a good idea who he does want to be compared to: "I like to think I walk the tightrope between Mike Skinner and Jarvis Cocker."

The band have also revealed that they're not feeling the pressure of having to follow-up their chart-topping debut.

"I imagine there is pressure, but we haven't taken that step yet," Turner told XFM.

"I think people understand that every single doesn't have to go to Number One, and I think it's good that 'un went in at Number One, just to lead off ready for everything else."


He added: "We kinda didn't do anything to help make it get to number one, if anything we went the other way. We didn't put loads of different formats out or anything, we just released it. It's great for music and that, but nah, we never think, 'We've got to top that with another Number One'. We just want to try and make the record as good and interesting as it can be."

The band are finishing their debut album, which will be out in January. It will be preceded by a single, 'Sun Goes Down (Scummy)'.

source: nme

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Dillinger Escape Plan Announce North American Tour

The Dillinger Escape Plan has announced its first major North American headlining tour since last year.
Two shows in Mexico are scheduled for late October, before the tour kicks off in earnest November 6 in Ottawa, Ontario.

The band will play a week and a half's worth of dates in the Great White North before heading down to the lower 48.
The tour runs through December 10, wrapping at Sonar in Baltimore, Md.

Hella will open through November 27, with The Bronx taking up support duties from November 28 onward. Between The Buried & Me, Horse The Band, and The Flashbulb are also scheduled to open.

Dillinger Escape Plan has been keeping busy this year, performing on the Vans Warped Tour and Gigantour and also heading out with Slipknot, As I Lay Dying and more across the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan.

source: pollstar

Alfie Beat It: Manchester's Band Split

Sadly folks, it is true. The hefty cardigan has unravelled itself, and Alfie are no more.
The band, who formed back in the late 1990s when music was a bit rubbish really, have called it a day following their last ever show in Manchester's Live Café.

The band issued a couple of parting statements to NME, with bassist Sam Morris saying that "The reasons behind the decision are varied, but the main feeling was that it had seemed to run its course.

As you know, we have always endeavoured to stay 'true to ourselves' musically, and we perhaps somewhat naively thought that this would be sufficient to catapult us into the upper stratosphere of the popular music world. It wasn't, and unfortunately, although it's true that a single note of one of our songs holds more worth than ten thousand James Blunt albums (a chilling thought) this has never been apparent to the record buying public as a whole.

"We wanted it to work, you wanted it to work, the record company wanted it to work. So the question remains: where did everyone else's loving go, for frig's sake? Well I don't know where their loving went, but I know their cash went straight into the crazy frog's wackily amphibious bank account." Converting from Alfie to Crazy Frog is a touch Damascene, is it not?

Lee Gorton gave further depth to the split, adding that "Some of the band felt we weren't getting the breaks anymore. Not that you're owed 'em mind, but it's easy to lose heart when you've been trying to do things your own way for so long yet still not getting the response you're after. Everyone's human and people have a right to worry about what's happening with their lives... it's hard to keep faith that 'everything'll be alright', (which has been my mantra from day one), when it feels, ultimately, like no-one's listening." The poor dear!

Gorton went on to thank the bands loyal fans, mind, saying that "You lot, our faithful fans, being the exception of course. Ever loyal throughout, always providing that glimmer of hope and humanity when things have felt tough. I've been equally touched, entertained and encouraged whilst silently monitoring countless, seemingly trivial rows on the message board over the years. We've clearly meant quite a lot to some of you and knowing that and believing someone cares has provided priceless motivation!"

source: playlouder

Constantines Making Music Fulltime Work


the Constantines
It's sort of funny that after three records, the Constantines are still doing everything almost exactly the same as when they started. Sure, the music has changed drastically from their debut to the just released Tournament Of Hearts, but as far as the production of the records are concerned, the band still produce their records in a relatively small amount of time.

Here's a bit of perspective: Broken Social Scene's new record took about two years to assemble; the Cons did theirs in about 12 days. The main reason for this difference is, of course, BSS work in home studios, while the Cons still have to buy studio time.

"Unless you have millions and millions of dollars to spend you have to be prepared, because you’re spending time and money and you have to be productive when you get in there," says guitarist Steve Lambke. They did get some money from Sub Pop to do the record, "but it’s a pretty modest budget. It goes fast by the time you’re paying for an engineer, then studio time, then you’re going to have to master and you’re going to have to mix. We tend to prepare before and just in terms of playing, you should know your stuff."

After half a decade, the Cons are aware that they are a band who get a lot of press and do a lot of high profile touring, but don't sell a lot of records. They have, however, been making enough to pay their bills and quit their fulltime jobs.

It's funny, then, that the Cons sing about "Working Fulltime," since most people don't consider "Canadian indie rocker" to be an actual job title. But the band basically do work fulltime. They're currently in the midst of their fifth significant tour of the year.

"I've been thinking a lot about all of that lately," singer Bry Webb says. "Of course we want to move forward and have more people hear the music, but yeah, we’re at this point where we make enough to sustain ourselves, but it’s not like we’re getting these giant cheques in the mail. We still have to keep playing in order to sustain ourselves. That’s sort of what 'Working Fulltime' is about, trying to understand the nature of work."

One of the other unusual stories of Tournament Of Hearts is how the seven-minute ambient b-side "Hotline Operator" turned into a full-on, three-minute rocker. The original version of the track appeared on the band's first EP for Sub Pop, Nighttime, Anytime.

"I always liked that phrase, Hotline Operator," Webb says. "Not too many people would have heard the seven-minute jam from a single. The song ended up being about the whole blackout, when Mel Lastman went on the radio and said, 'Don’t worry, nine months from now there’ll be a baby boom in Toronto.' I just liked that idea. I always wanted to play the old version live, but it’s sort of ridiculous to practice and we never knew how to break it out in a live situation."

It seems odd to hear it, but Webb's goal for Tournament Of Hearts was to fix the "mistakes" of the previous two records, which were both incredibly popular with critics and fans.

"I read a thing with Neil Young where he said he never worries about writers block because something will come eventually and you can’t force it and I think I’ve been guilty of that. That was part of the problem with the writing on Shine A Light," Webb explains. "I think we get a bit more comfortable each time we go into the studio, get a little bit better idea of what we want, then we can just relax a bit and do what we want."

While the layered and patient sound on Tournament Of Hearts may be their most accomplished record to date, the band now find themselves at square one. Their Canadian label, Three Gut Records, closed up shop when the Cons LP was released and their contract with Sub Pop in the U.S. has come to an end.

"There isn’t really a plan right now," Lambke says. "We’ll see what the future holds. In a way, next time we’ll be starting fresh on the business side, which is good and kind of sucks. Dealing with that stuff is always such a consuming process, but it’s good too." As far as Webb's concerned, none of that matters right now. The only thing that's for sure in his mind is that the Cons are far from finished. He says he'd be happy if the band are still playing into their forties.

"It’s amazing to get involved with all the artists who we know who we work with and are inspired by and to have that be what you do with your life is pretty great."

Constantines are currently on tour with The Hold Steady.Here are their Canadian dates:

# November 2 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
# November 3 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa

source: chartattack

Broken Social Scene, Broken On Tour


Broken Social Scene
Getting the disparate members of your musical collective together for prolonged periods of time is nearly impossible, even if you're from the socialist paradise that is Canada. That's why Broken Social Scene is touring without some of its members this fall.

According to Billboard, Jimmy Shaw and Emily Haines, of Broken Social Scene and Metric, are occupied with touring duties for the latter, and therefore will not join BSS on their North American tour. "We're learning the evils of releasing simultaneous records," Shaw told Billboard. "The only way for both projects to be promoted at the same time is for me to be on tour with Metric.

Metric can't exist without me, but Social Scene can." Lisa Lobsinger, a former member of the Calgary band Reverie Sound Review, has replaced Haines on the current BSS tour. Feist will also lend her dulcet pipes to the BSS tour, as she is opening for the band on most of their US dates. Broken Social Scene and Feist will take the stage tonight in Detroit.

Broken Social Scene Tour Dates

10/28, Chicago, IL (Cabaret Metro) *
10/29, Minneapolis, MN (First Ave.) *
10/31, Lawrence, KS (Granada) *
11/1, Boulder, CO (Boulder Theatre) *
11/3, Austin, TX (Stubb's) *
11/4, Dallas, TX (Gypsy Ballroom) *
11/8, Los Angeles, CA (Henry Fonda Theatre) *
11/9, San Francisco, CA (Grand Ballroom) *
11/11, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom) *
11/12, Seattle, WA (Showbox)*
(*with Feist)

source: spin

The Rosebuds Tour U.S., Avoid Any Mentions Of The Phrase "Sophomore Slump"

The RosebudsPeople like to knock other people down. Especially among critics, it's common to either like or dislike something based entirely on what another critic brings to the table.

This point becomes most crucial in music reviewing, where the term "sophomore slump" is often thrown around (an ages-old catch-all for a second act that fails to live up to the hype of their first creation). Many, many former emperors and empresses of culture have faded to the lives of the mundane, based almost entirely on what their second release failed to accomplish--at least in the eyes and ears of the critic.

Sometimes, though rarely, a band improves on their second outing (for example, the recent Joggers LP With A Cape And A Cane, which is easily one of 2005's finest). This is most certainly true of Merge husband and wife duo The Rosebuds, whose latest Birds Make Good Neighbors (Merge) is a remarkable improvement on their 2003 debut, The Rosebuds Make Out (Merge). Lovebirds Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard will make good on their newfound respectability with a U.S. tour set to begin tonight in Mt. Pleasant, SC. So nice when a plan comes together.

And We Will Tour The Countryside And You Won't Be Invited!:

10.27.05 - Mt. Pleasant, SC Village Tavern
10.28.05 - Wilmington, NC Soapbox Laundro-Lounge
11.10.05 - Minneapolis, MN Varsity
11.13.05 - Vancouver, BC Richards On Richards
11.14.05 - Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe
11.15.05 - Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
11.16.05 - San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
11.18.05 - Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
11.19.05 - Pomona, CA Glass House
11.21.05 - San Diego, CA The Casbah
11.22.05 - Tucson, AZ Plush
11.25.05 - Austin, TX Parish Room
11.26.05 - Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room
11.27.05 - Houston, TX Meridian
11.30.05 - Tampa, FL Orpheum Theatre
12.01.05 - Orlando, FL The Social
12.02.05 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room

source: tinymixtapes

Chicks On Speed Tour


Chicks On Speed
Multimedia empire Chicks On Speed are on tour and coming to a city near you (provided you are near one of North America's major metropolitan areas).

The Munich-based trio have been busy over the last few years making records, putting together art installations, and designing clothing.

They also have their own record label, and will be bringing one of their finest signings, American expatriate Kevin Blechdom along with them for this tour.

We hope Blechdom takes some art of her own along, preferably the performance art piece where she holds the mic in one hand and bloody animal guts in the other. Damien Hirst wishes he could be so raw.

Tour Dates:
11-10 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club*
11-11 - San Francisco, CA -The Independent*
11-12 - Portland, OR - Holocene*
11-14 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey*
11-17 - Chicago, IL - Sound Bar*
11-18 - Washington, D.C - Nation*
11-19 - New York, NY - Knitting Factory*

*with Kevin Blechdom and Planningtorock

source: cmj

Franz Ferdinand: Shock Single Decision / We Don't Understand Our Lyrics


Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand shock single decision

Band pick different single for US audience

Franz Ferdinand have chosen to release 'The Fallen' as their new single in the US - despite the fact 'Walk Away' is coming out in Britain.

In the UK, 'Walk Away is set for release on December 5. However, in the US, the band have decided to release the opening track from their second album.

Speaking in the States, singer Alex Kapranos said the decision was made because "in the States they're more up for a bit of rock and roll".

He told MTV: "It's based on a number of different characters who are pretty enigmatic in their own right. These characters, Glaswegian characters, who maybe sometimes stumble on the darker side of life and maybe are from the rougher side of life. And it's imagining Christ coming back as one of these characters that we'd know from back home and what he'd do and imagining him coming back and turning the rich into wine and drinking them and walking on the mean and maybe getting on Mary Magdalene."

Franz Ferdinand will tour the UK in November and December, and the dates have sold out.

source: nme


Franz Ferdinand: We Don't Understand Our Lyrics

Franz Ferdinand fans who can't work out what their songs are about needn't worry because most of the band doesn't either.

Bassist Bob Hardy has revealed that they're always having to ask Alex Kapranos to explain his lyrics, Hardy said: "We always talk about what they're about. You gotta know what the songs are about, otherwise you don't know how to play them."

However, it would seem that Kapranos likes the fact that the lyrics rarely have any meaning, he told MTV: "I love the fact that you can make a song sound really, really simple," he explained.

"If all you hear is the 'whoo-hoo' from the chorus, that's fine, but you can put a lot more into [discovering the meaning of] it as well. It's there if you want to hear it."

Kapranos was talking about Franz's new US single 'The Fallen' which contains a number of obscure references such as the lines: "And the Kunst won't talk to you/ Because you kissed St. Rollox adieu/ Because you robbed a supermarket or two/ Well, who gives a damn about the prophets of Tesco?"

He explained: "It's based on a number of different characters who are pretty enigmatic in their own right. These characters, Glaswegian characters, who maybe sometimes stumble on the darker side of life and maybe are from the rougher side of life."

"And it's imagining Christ coming back as one of these characters that we'd know from back home and what he'd do and imagining him coming back and turning the rich into wine and drinking them and walking on the mean and maybe getting on Mary Magdalene."

"See, once you know it, it's that easy, it all makes sense," yeah right!

source: gigwise

Rufus Wainwright to release 'Want'


Rufus Wainwright
The special edition LP will combine his previous two albums

Rufus Wainwright is set to release a special edition album 'Want' on November 28.

Combining both his critically acclaimed 'Want One' and 'Want Two' LPs, the double CD package will also include two new tracks.

'Want' will feature a cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Chelsea Hotel No. 2' recorded live in Brighton and 'In With The Ladies' co-written with Alex Gifford of Propellerheads.

'In With The Ladies' was originally recorded in New York as part of the 'Want One' and 'Want Two', sessions but was omitted from the final releases.

The release of 'Want' will precede Wainwright's UK tour, which kicks off in London on November 29.

Rufus Wainwright will play:

London Hammersmith Apollo (November 29)
Brighton Dome (30)
Manchester Apollo (December 2)
Sheffield City Hall (3)
Bristol Colston Hall (5)
Birmingham Symphony Hall (6)
Newcastle Sage (7)
Norwich UEA (8)
Glasgow Clyde Auditorium (10)
Preston Guildhall (11)

source: nme

Tangiers Bury Their New Year's Sorrow In Pizza


Tangiers
Tangiers' third album in three years, The Family Myth, has just hit stores and they're sitting in a diner telling tales of two cities. The first is Toronto, the band's hometown — looking through the press they've received in the past couple years, a clear image is presented by the city's journalists, one of a semi-alcoholic rock 'n' roll lifestyle. How do they manage to fit so much recording in with all that drinking going on?

"That was something that was really unfortunate, which was the 'tagging' of us as more of a party band than we were and I think we kind of went along for the ride of that," explains Josh Reichmann, one half of Tangiers' songwriting duo. "But it really didn't do justice to the fact that that was a really cartoon, silly illustration of where we were at. I mean, drinking and partying in your 20s is not anomalous to people in bands. And just because we had pictures taken with beers... I mean that's where we'd end up for an interview, in a place like this and we'd have a beer. And I think they kind of pushed that, I think the local media was interested in having us be poster boys for that. But it was also kind of fun at the time."

His partner in crime, James Sayce, agrees: "It's like I was 22 years old and a magazine came along and said 'We're gonna take you out drinking and pay for it all night and take photos of you.' So of course you would do it — I mean free beer, why not? And then, like a week later, our faces were plastered everywhere — our plastered faces were plastered throughout the entire city."

"Besides, everyone drinks, who cares?" Reichmann laughs. "Now it's all eight-balls and slamming heroin and peanut butter in our arms."

Still, the band members probably wished they were the party kings of repute when they hit New York City, where Tangiers retreated last December to record most of the new LP. So how did their winter weeks in the sprawling city compare to past studio experiences at home?

"I think the main difference was that after a day of recording we would go back to an apartment with no furniture, sleep on the floor and shiver ourselves to sleep," Sayce says. "And we didn't have anyone to hang out with, so all we had to do was focus completely on the record, because it was Christmas in New York and it was this completely empty place. None of the people we knew were there, none of the people at our label were even there, it was just us and our producer — it was New Year's Eve and he wanted to do New Year's stuff, like you know, go to Connecticut or whatever it is New York people do..."

"So we ate pizza on New Year's," Reichmann interjects. "But, like, a couple different kinds of pizza."

Sayce hangs his head. "I think we buried our sorrows in New York pizza."

Tangiers Canadian tour dates:
# October 26 Winnipeg, MB @ Collective
# October 27 Saskatoon, SK @ U Of S
# October 28 Edmonton, AB @ Victory
# October 29 Calgary, AB @ Hi-Fi Club
# October 31 Vancouver, BC @ Red Room

source: chartattack

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

White Stripes: 'We'd be nothing without the UK'


White Stripes
Jack White speaks exclusively to NME.COM on the eve of British tour

The White Stripes have spoken exclusive to NME.COM ahead of their forthcoming UK tour.

The duo kicked off their European tour in Paris earlier this month (October 16) and will tour the continent before heading to Britain for their first date at the London Hammersmith Apollo on November 5.

The tour sees Jack and Meg White playing many of the same venues they visited in January 2004, including two nights at London's Alexandra Palace (November 8-9), and the band say they've found playing UK shows very influential in their live evolution.

"We were a bit worried about playing Alexandra Palace last time," admitted Jack. "We thought it'd be a big empty hall but it ended up being really nice. The crowd was interesting. London has been a place where we've done a lot of learning about what we can get away with and what we can't get away with and what kind of attitude needs to be in the room to make us feel good."

Jack added that he found the types of venues in Britain intriguing, as each had brought a different performance out of him and Meg, from their tiny gigs at place like the Boston Arms and the 100 Club when they became a sensation despite been unsigned, to their bigger shows which have included headlining performances at Glastonbury and the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals.

"There's a different attitude that comes through in every place," he said. "As a performer you have to come through and try hard to gauge that - particularly us, because we don't follow a setlist."

source: nme

Mogwai Get Set To Unleash New Album


Mogwai
The eskimo suits are ready...

Mogwai have divulged several more snippets of information about their new album on their official website.

Posting of the site Stuart Braithwaite wrote: “Greetings minions. The ball is now well and truly rolling. Our album has been mastered (twice), eskimo suits have been hired and many other such arrangements made to make way for the earth shattering event that is our new album.”

He added: “We have already been aproached for one of the songs to be used as the national anthem of the new Iraqi state. We aren't sure if we will give them permission however as we've heard that Saddam supports Hibs and we don't want our Hibbee pals giving us grief for aiding his usurpers.”

Braithwaite also revealed that John Cummings and himself had been working on a remix of a track by Danish band Mew.


source: gigwise

Maximo Park Start Work On New LP


Maximo Park
Maximo Park have revealed they will be starting work on their new album early next year.The band are spending most of the rest of 2005 touring and will turn their attention to the album in January.

Bohemian frontman Paul Smith told xfm:“ We'll be focussing on the second album after Christmas. We've written a few tracks and we now just need to get into a room get back to being a band that's creating music, ready to go out on tour and play for another year or so.”

He continued: “We might play one of our new tracks in December which we'll be honing during the soundchecks in Europe and I'm just really excited about playing the new stuff. I just want to give more and more decent music to people.”

We’re looking forward to it already Paul

European Tour Dates

Amsterdam, Melkweg – November 3
Belgium, Botanique – 4
Lille, Aeronef – 5
Paris, La Cigale – 6
Nantes, Olympic – 7
Bordeaux, Theatre Barbey – 9
Barcelona, Razzmatazz 2 – 11
Madrid, Aqualung – 12
Bilbao, Azkena – 13
Milan, Rolling Stone – 15
Treviso, New Age – 16
Luzern, Konzerthaus Schuur – 17
Basel, Kaserne – 18
Vienna, Arena – 20
Munchen, Kleine Elserhalle – 21
Nurnberg, Hirsch – 22
Bielefeld, Forum – 23
Hamburg, Grunspan – 25
Berlin, Postbahnof – 26
Frankfurt, Festsaal – 27
Dusseldorf, Zakk - 28

source: gigwise

Springsteen Station Debut In November

Rocker Bruce Springsteen's works will take centre stage on a new satellite radio station devoted solely to his music.

Sirius Satellite Radio's E Street Radio, a commercial-free channel devoted to Springsteen and the E STREET BAND, will feature music, track-by-track album discussions, behind-the-scenes insights and conversations with E Street Band members.

The station is set to debut on 1 November (05).

Sirius already has channels dedicated to ELVIS PRESLEY and THE ROLLING STONES

source: contactmusic

The Coral end 2005 with live shows


The Coral
More dates announced in December

The Coral will cap their busy year with two UK dates in December.

The band are currently on a large UK tour in support of new album 'The Invisible Invasion'. Those dates finish in their native Liverpool on October 28.

Now the band have revealed they will play Keele University on December 13 and Lancaster Sugarhouse the following night.

Upcoming Gigs

# Birmingham Wed, 23/11/2005
# Sheffield Thu, 24/11/2005
# Liverpool Fri, 25/11/2005
# Liverpool Sat, 26/11/2005
# Glasgow Mon, 28/11/2005
# Newcastle Tue, 29/11/2005
# Bournemouth Mon, 12/12/2005
# Nr Stoke On Trent Tue, 13/12/2005
# Lancaster Wed, 14/12/2005

source: gignews

Spector's Lawyers Fight Deposition Release


Phil Spector
Defense lawyers in Phil Spector's murder case filed a motion to block the prosecution from obtaining the record producer's deposition in a lawsuit he filed against his former defense attorney.

Prosecutors are seeking a transcript and videotape of Spector's deposition in the suit he brought against attorney Robert Shapiro.

Defense attorneys Roger Rosen and Bruce Cutler argued that the subpoena to Shapiro's former law firm requests a document protected by attorney-client privilege. A Dec. 2 hearing was set on the matter.

Spector is charged with fatally shooting actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra, Calif., mansion in early 2003. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on $1 million bail.

Spector was arrested on Feb. 3, 2003, after Clarkson was found fatally wounded at his mansion. The star of Roger Corman's cult film "Barbarian Queen" had been working as a hostess at the House of Blues on Sunset Strip. She died after going home with Spector. Spector, 65, has suggested the 40-year-old actress shot herself.

Shapiro once represented Spector in the murder case, but the defendant sued him to get his $1 million fee returned after an acrimonious split.

According to the defense motion, Shapiro and an associate took Spector's deposition on July 19, something Spector's current attorneys say the producer would not have agreed to had he "thought that his deposition would be anything but privileged and confidential.

source. billboard

Sleater-Kinney cancel European tour


Sleater-Kinney
Doctors advise the band not to hit the road

Sleater-Kinney have been forced to cancel their UK and European tour dates.

The band were due to kick off the jaunt at Brighton's Concorde 2 on November 8, but singer Carrie Brownstein has been told not to head out on the road.

A statement from the band explained: "Sleater-Kinney regretfully must cancel their November European dates on account of medical issues. Guitarist/singer Carrie Brownstein has suffered two severe allergic reactions within the past four months, both resulting in trips to the emergency room."

They added: "Her doctor has advised that she not travel/tour for prolonged periods of time until the condition stabilises and further tests are conducted. The band apologizes to all the people that this cancellation affects."

Sleater-Kinney are hoping to reschedule the dates for next Spring when they return to the UK to curate The United Sounds Of ATP event between May 19-21 at Camber Sands.

The cancelled dates are:

Brighton Concorde 2 (November 8)
Bristol Fleece (9)
Nottingham Rescue Rooms (10)
Glasgow Oran Mor (11)
Leeds Cockpit (12)
Paris Nouveau Casino (14)
Cologne Gebaude 9 (15)
Hamburg Knust (16)
Berlin Maria (17)
Barcelona Apolo (19)
Madrid Arena (20)

source: nme

Weezer's Cuomo Heading Back To Harvard


Rivers Cuomo
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is heading back to Harvard University in February, with plans to graduate in June with a degree in English, according to a recent chat session on AOL Music. Cuomo returned to Harvard at the beginning of the year after an eight-year-hiatus but has spent the bulk of 2005 recording and touring in support of Weezer's latest Geffen album, "Make Believe."

The group is winding down its fall outing with Foo Fighters, after which it will play seven shows in Japan through Dec. 22 in Tokyo. It is unclear if there will be any activity in the Weezer camp next year while Cuomo is back at school.

During the chat, Cuomo revealed further details about his devotion to meditation as well as his vow of celibacy, which he began June 13, 2003. "I decided to try celibacy because I heard it would help the meditation, and I tried meditation because I heard it would help with the music," he said. "So, it all really comes back to the music."

"Listen to 'Make Believe' and compare it to the previous album, 'Maladroit,'" he continued. "I know I can hear a difference in my singing. My voice just sounds much more sensitive and dynamic now. I also notice a difference in the lyrics. I'm much more open and communicative about my emotions now."

Cuomo said he believes his own personal transformation has rubbed off on the other members of Weezer. "You might wonder what my meditation practice has to do with the other members' contributions, but I think my meditation has allowed me to be a better collaborator in the studio," he said. "I don't have so much fear that I won't get my way. I don't have so much anger if people have opposing opinions and generally I'm much more happy and comfortable in collaborative situations. So I think the guys finally got an opportunity to really shine on this album."

"Make Believe" has shifted 790,000 copies in the United States since its May release, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a significant improvement over "Maladroit," which has sold 590,000 to date.

source: billboard