I spent a recent Friday night driving to The Glasshouse in Pomona, California via a Los Angeles freeway during rush hour (imagine a 1 car garage with 3 cars trying to get in at the same time) to hear the band Entrance who were opening for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. I single out "band" due to the fact that you may have heard the name Entrance before. It was the same name of the new amalgamation that leader singer / guitarist, Guy Blakeslee, has been performing under as a solo artist since his first release "The Kingdom of Heaven Must be Taken by Storm" in 2003. This Friday evening though would be all about the band.
The Glasshouse is not the best venue that I have ever been to, the last time being for The Pixies pre-2005 Coachella performance, and along with sitting in bumper to bumper traffic to hear a band that I originally received an unsolicited release for left me with little to no hope for the remainder of the evening. Not to mention they no longer serve beer at The Glasshouse. Which had little to with the beer and more to do with the current "safety first / always wear your bike helmet" paradigm of music showing itself as disappointment that it is. A side point indeed but this is music right? The same influence of life that coined the phrase "sex, drugs and rock n' roll"?
After driving 3 hours to move just 30 miles I finally make my way inside The Glasshouse a little after 8:00 p.m. expecting the find the band that I was supposed to interview before their set either playing their last song or already off stage and packing the van up. Suddenly, walking through the door I hear this amazing guitar riff.
It was one of those riffs that I have only heard on records. A riff that seemed to encompass all those feelings that I have towards the music's past and with my attention fixed and a vision of a MySpace profile in my head I knew that the band delivering the riff was the same band that had inspired me to make the trek in the first place.
I guess that you could say that I was lucky that this riff came during a Blakeslee solo in their opening song "Silence on a Crowded Train" meaning I hadn't missed a thing. As I stood in the unusually frigid air of southern California, that seemed to force its way through every crevice of this small town venue, I heard song after song from Entrance's new album "Prayer of Death" being delivered from either three visionaries or three modern day versions of hippies (depending on your perspective) with a passion for music that I have not had the ability to hear live anywhere else.
Watching Guy, Paz, and Derek on stage made me believe that their might truly be some hope for the future of the music industry. This was the first time that I saw a band with truly no pretensions, no onstage gimmicks, just music captivating a crowd that was mostly there to see someone else.
I don't want to seem over the top with praise as there were some problems with the vocals (engineer, venue, simply too many variables to pinpoint). However, as the band delivered their final song of the night, the title track "Prayer of Death", the true appreciation for them came due to the fact that they not only completely surprised me, but almost every aspiring Pomona hipster in the place.
After getting home, listening to the album, and even taking the time to read some other reviews of the new album from Pitchfork and the like, which have coincidentally garnered a similar positive response, I would recommend that anyone who is looking for something different, something to be inspired by to give this band a chance. Pioneers aren't always perfect, but Entrance is definitely onto something.
Courtney Love on American Idol as a Paula Abdul replacement? US Magazine says the rocker indicated it was a possibility. Would Idol really go from one train wreck to another? Oh wait, Courtney's cleaned up her act now, right?
The Police haven't confirmed a tour yet. But, Sting Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland will continue to stoke those flames by opening this year's Grammy Awards telecast. The February 11th performance will be their first together since their 2003 set at their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and could be a prelude to a highly anticipated 30th Anniversary tour.
Music mogul David Geffen is reporetedly opening his home to folks who buy $20 tickets (for $46,000) to a fundraiser for Presidential candidate Barack Obama. What's that saying...for the people, by the people?
Los Lobos has announced an acoustic tour. The Acoustic En Vivo Tour will feature tunes from their latest record The Town and the City and kicks off February 8th in La Jolla.
Billy Joel will also kick off a tour in February. And, in an attempt to corner the sappy market, is releasing a Phil Ramone-produced track on February 7th on People.com, where it will be available for streaming and as music for a Valentine's Day e-card. Awwww, so sweet.
Warner Brothers "indie rock" act (seriously, that's what they call themselves because they are on Doghouse, but apparently not realzing they've signed to one of the largest media companies in the world) The Honorary has an mp3 circulating from their new record Untouched & Intact that comes out in April. Stream:: Untouched & Intact
The Makes Nice sent over a couple tracks from their Candy Wrapper and Twelve Other Songs release. The band consists of Josh Smith (guitar, vocals), Aaron Burnham (bass, vocals) and Jack Matthews (drums). The trio recorded the record with Phil Manley from Trans Am. MP3s:Candy Wrapper and California Sun
Truth In Advertising: Perpetual Groove In New York City
By: David Schultz
The old adage that you can never tell a book by its cover oftentimes holds true in the world of music: there's nothing really secret about the Secret Machines; there are no siblings named Scissor and Todd Park Mohr's head really isn't all that big. Then again, sometimes the simplest of maxims contain an enormity of truth. In the case of the Perpetual Groove, you get exactly what you would expect. As their name suggests, the southern-based foursome likes to jam and they will do so with every song. Fortunately, they do it very well.
The band gelled in 2001 when original members Brock Butler (guitar) and Adam Perry (bass) hooked up with Matt McDonald (keys) and Albert Suttle (drums) in Savannah, GA. Working a touring schedule around the new band members' post 9/11 military responsibilities, Perpetual Groove built a solid following in the southeast before tackling the rest of the country. For the Saturday night show as part of their weekend stint at New York City's Knitting Factory, you could sense a big-time atmosphere in the air, ripe with expectancy. With their fan base growing at the same rate as their repertoire, the main room couldn't quite contain the scene that had flocked to The Knit. At the start of the night, there wasn't much room to move; ironically, by 1:30 a.m., when McDonald announced that the Saturday night show was their first New York City sellout, the crowd had drastically thinned.
Hefty in appearance, Perpetual Groove are also weighty in sound, staying free of any crunchy granola style noodling. Occasionally some tunes will commence with a slightly generic jamband sound but they rarely stay there. Quite polished in their skills, PGroove quickly moves into more complicated and interesting directions. At times, Perpetual Groove works their jams like The Disco Biscuits; at others, they work the tunes like moe., but with keyboards. With McDonald at the forefront, they handle the electronica jams well but they aren't the band's strongest suit. Though most work very well, some don't. "Robot Waltz," which closed the first set, played out phenomenally while "Teakwood Betz," which opened the second set, seemed more about making electronica noise than finding a smooth groove.
Far from a Jekyll & Hyde affair, Perpetual Groove are better when they pursue more of roots-rock flavor than spacey explorations. On those occasions, guitarist Brock Butler takes the lead, laying down some nice solos and playing off of McDonald's keys and Perry's bass. When Butler gets down to serious jamming, he seems to withdraw into himself, tilting his head skyward, his face revealing an internal concentration while he channels everything into his guitar. Able to do more than just lay down some classic rock solos, Butler's also an effective and entertaining singer. When not throwing some well-timed monkey yawps into "Breeze," his pleasing voice gives the band another dimension. Whether by design or not, Adam Perry's bass licks boldly push their way to the front of the mix, joining with Albert Suttle's drums to give many of the tunes a weighty feel. Suttle's not only able to keep up with the electronica pace the band often sets but also provides worthy arena rock drum fills. With the sweat beading from his bald pate, Suttle powered the band into "Crapshoot" with his tribal drums
Perpetual Groove also has a gift for mixing different styles, succeeding where many bands find failure. For "Macumba," they skillfully integrated a reggae beat and a standard fifties guitar riff to create an interesting number that ponders the current whereabouts of penguins with the same interest given the subject by Lyle Lovett. Midsong, Butler popped a baseball cap onto his head, came from behind his steel guitar setup and began to lay down some white-boy rhymes from The Beastie Boys as well as a complete run through "Lazy Sunday," SNL's ode to cupcakes and Narnia. In the most surreal moment of the evening, Butler led the crowd through a quick but raucous chant of "Wu Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck wit." Though the rap interlude could easily have come across as forced, it worked spectacularly. Showing more range, the band closed their second set with "Only Always," a pop-style song eerily similar in structure to Spandau Ballet's "True" even down to the wordless phrasing.
Reviewing a jamband can be fraught with difficulties. As most change their sets from night to night, trying to get a definitive take on a band from one show can be like reviewing a movie from a still photo. That all being said, it's clear from Saturday night's show that Perpetual Groove still has room to grow; they aren't at the stage where every jam works or connects. However, they hit much more than they miss: having a natural knack for keeping the jams interesting with extremely hypnotizing and danceable grooves.
Sony BMG Music Entertainment agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law when it sold CDs without informing consumers that they, among other things, contained technology that monitored their listening habits to send them marketing messages. According to the FTC, the software also exposed consumers to significant security risks and was unreasonably difficult to uninstall.
The proposed settlement requires Sony BMG to clearly disclose limitations on consumers' use of music CDs, bars it from using collected information for marketing, prohibits it from installing software without consumer consent, and requires it to provide a reasonable means of uninstalling that software. The settlement also requires that Sony BMG allow consumers to exchange the CDs through June 31, 2007, and reimburse consumers for up to $150 to repair damage to their computers that they may have suffered in trying to remove the software.
According to the complaint detailing the charges, Sony BMG embedded in its music CDs content protection software, also known as Digital Rights Management software, which installed itself on consumers' computers to restrict the number of times the audio files could be copied. In addition to restricting the use of the CDs on computers using the Windows Operating System, the software, which was concealed from consumers, created security vulnerabilities that could allow hackers and other third parties to gain access to consumers' computers.
The FTC also alleged that it was deceptive, in violation of federal law, to fail to disclose that Sony BMG's monitoring technology, included on many of its CDs, monitored consumers' music listening preferences and sent targeted marketing ads to their computers. In addition, the settlement bars Sony BMG from using the information on consumers' listening preferences that it has already gathered through the monitoring technology it installed and bars them from using the information to deliver ads to those consumers.
The settlement bars Sony BMG from installing or hiding content protection software that prevents consumers from finding or removing the software, and requires that it provide a reasonable and effective way to uninstall any content protection software. It requires that for two years, Sony BMG provide an uninstall tool and patches to repair the security vulnerabilities created on consumers' computers by previously installed software.
For the next 20 years, BMG must also comply with record keeping and reporting provisions designed to allow the agency to monitor compliance with its order. Failure to do so, could result in further action by the FTC.
The Commission vote to accept the proposed consent agreement was 5-0. The FTC will publish an announcement regarding the agreement in the Federal Register shortly. The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through March 1, after which the Commission will decide whether to make it final. Comments should be addressed to the FTC, Office of the Secretary, Room H-135, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC is requesting that any comment filed in paper form near the end of the public comment period be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible, because U.S. postal mail in the Washington area and at the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security precautions.
One of the most accomplished interpreters of the blues, guitarist John Hammond has racked up some serious credentials, releasing more than two dozen albums and sharing the stage with luminaries like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf in addition to classic rock icons as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers Band. His estimable back catalog provides ample evidence of his ability to capture the essence of the blues in all of its derivations. Hammond's even shown the foresight to beat Scarlett Johansson to the punch, his album of Tom Waits covers, Wicked Grin, beating the buxom beauty's rumored collection to the stores by about six years. On Push Comes To Shove, his latest, Hammond not only freshens up his traditional blues sound by bringing Philadelphia "hip-hop blues" star G-Love into the mix, he offers up five originals songs of his own.
On the release date of his 31st album, Hammond joined Cajun-style pianist Marcia Ball at the B.B King Blues Club & Grill as part of a potent double bill. To the surprise of some of the staff, The Hammond Quartet, which included bassist Marty Ballou, drummer Steven Hodges and keyboardist Bruce Katz, took the stage in the opening slot, beginning the evening with an hour long set of polished blues.
B.B. King's Times Square monument to the blues couldn't differ more from the juke houses that spawned Hammond's blues. But, its dinner-theater atmosphere provided the perfect scene for the Hammond Quartet, which added a fifth, David Hansen, for a good portion of the set. Hammond's audience skews towards an older demographic that, for the most part, has lost their desire to stand elbow-to-elbow in a funky Lower East Side club in order to catch a show. In that respect, the crowd matched Hammond's unwavering love of the blues, sitting with reverent silence while a master bluesman practiced his craft
At 64 years of age, Hammond doesn't bring many new tricks into his stage show. However, his inclusion of his originals from Push Comes To Shove may qualify. In addition to his new material, Hammond peppered his set with the traditional blues numbers that his fans have come to expect, punctuating the old and the new songs with his crisp guitar licks. Hammond will continue to deliver those classic blues licks as he continues to tour the United States throughout the winter.
And The Eyes Of The World Are Watching Now In an era where YouTube makes it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to broadcast their every whim, Peter Gabriel is making a plea to harness video voyeurism for good. At the World Economic Forum in Davros, Switzerland, Gabriel engaged in a little fundraising for Witness, his latest venture which seeks to document human rights abuses throughout the world on amateur video cameras. "With the phone and Internet, anyone, any place, can tell their story," said the politically-conscious singer.
A longtime supporter of Amnesty International, Gabriel provided one of the defining performances of the Eighties during the 1986 Conspiracy Of Hope concert at Giants Stadium. With 80,000 people singing along to "Biko," Gabriel not only made one high school junior realize that music can do so much more than entertain, he motivated many in attendance to join the Nobel Prize winning organization with his understated "the rest is up to you."
Justin Timberlake continues to amaze. Not just on stage, but off. Perez Hilton - ok, not exactly a journalistic icon - reports that Timberlake was joined at Sundance by Jessica Biel. Now, that my friends certainly qualifies as sexy back.
Keith Richards, who may or may not have recovered from falling out of that tree last year, is apparently on a health kick. The "walking dead" guitarist has reportedly taken to drinking "organic vodka." The healthy booze was supposedly a gift from Ronnie Wood's wife, who is reported to be encouraging a more healthy lifestyle for the group of sixty-somethings.
Jason Mraz composed "The Beauty In The Ugly" in support of the "Be Ugly 07" campaign as "Ugly Betty" seems to be all the rage these days. The show appears Thursdays on ABC at 8/7c. Stream:real / windows
U-Melt's Winter Tour will be kicking off tonight, Friday, 1/26, with a show at Mexicali Blues Cafe in Teaneck, NJ. Saturday night, U-Melt will be travelling down the Jersey Turnpike to headline The North Star in Philly. More tour dates here.
The Arctic Monkeys reportedly were victims of theft. The band was said to have set up a photo shoot near some unoccupied Liverpool houses and were planning to feature a toilet in the shots. But, some local kids reportedly spoiled the fun when the ran off with it. Now word on whether the loo-ters were caught.
The Safes get a mention here because of a song title I liked. Their "Phonebook Full of Phonies" title reminded me of my favorite book Catcher in the Rye. You'll recall Holden Caufield's fondness of the word phonies. But, back to the Safes, the Chicago band of brothers just released their latest record Well, Well, Well. and are embarking on a club tour. MP3s: "Phonebook Full of Phonies" and "Fairy Tale Tomorrow"
The legendary B.B. King was reportedly hospitalized last night. King is reportedly in good condition and under observation in the University Of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. No reason was reported for the visit. King's hospitalisation meant a scheduled gig last night at the Grand Opera House had to be cancelled. Video Flashback: B.B. King joins Stevie Ray Vaugh for SRV's "Texas Flood" in 1988.
Gnarls Barkley is still deservedly riding high on their platinum selling St. Elsewhere. Gnarls received five Grammy Award nominations, including "Record of the Year" for "Crazy" and "Album of the Year." The band also picked up nominations for "Best Alternative Music Album" and "Best Urban Alternative Performance" for "Crazy". Danger Mouse was also named in the "Producer of the Year" category for the 2nd year in a row. Gnarls will also perform live on the Grammy Awards show.
The latest single from the celebrated album is "Smiley Faces."
In 2006, the inaugural Green Apple Music & Arts Festival, which kicked off with the Jammy Awards at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, featured two days of outdoor performances at Grand Central by the likes of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Assembly Of Dust, Umphrey's McGee and Tea Leaf Green headlining CBGB, a screening of Wetlands Preserved and three nights of concerts all throughout Manhattan.
For 2007, the Green Apple Festival will spread throughout the United States with 150 shows at 80 separate theaters in 3 different cities, New York, Chicago and San Francisco. In the Festival's most ambitious venture to date, Relix Magazine, Pete Shapiro, and Jambands.com will mount a simultaneous day long concert on Earth Day, Sunday April 22, in New York’s Central Park, Chicago’s Lincoln Park, and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
While many of the shows have yet to be announced, the Festival will return to Vanderbilt Avenue outside of Grand Central Terminal and Particle will return to the Bowery Ballroom, the scene of their 2006 sold-out Green Apple show.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, affectionately known as Jazz Fest will take place this year April 27-29 and May 4-6. The 2007 Jazz Fest returns to the Fair Grounds Race Course and will feature 10 stages of simultaneous music programming and a Food Fair offering more than 100 varieties of authentic Louisiana cuisine.
Harry Connick Jr. will close out Jazz Fest, capping off two three-day weekends that will include opening weekend performances by Dr. John, Rod Stewart, Van Morrison, Norah Jones, Calexico and Soulive and final weekend performances by Z.Z. Top, Steely Dan, Galactic, Counting Crows and the Allman Brothers Band. Oh yes, Jazz Fest will also feature performances from numerous jazz and blues musicians whose names won't sound familiar but will blow you away nonetheless.
Van Halen reunion rumors and "reports" are all over the place, including Billboard. But, even Billboard didn't say it was a done deal. And, neither does a source close to the Van Halen camp. The source didn't deny anything would happen, but confirmed that as of yesterday nothing is official. That also includes what the line-up will be, if any, for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
The Hall inducted both Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth along with the rest of the traditional Van Halen line-up. Left out was singer Gary Cherone, who appeared on Van Halen III. Cherone's tenure, according to a spokesperson for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wasn't part of the band's "significant era" so the Hall subjectively chose to not include Cherone as part of the Van Halen induction. Of course, Cherone might argue that VHIII was a Gold record and produced a #1 rock hit with "Without You."
Another twist in the Hall of Fame scenario is that some even questioned the inclusion of Hagar. The rule for induction states that your recording career must be 25 or more years old before being eligible. Van Halen's career started more than 25 years ago and so did Hagar's. But, Hagar wasn't with VH for 25 years. The Hall spokesperson said that the vote was on the VH "entity" and not the individual members and since Sammy clearly was part of VH's "significant era" he gets in.
Interestingly, when asked if Hagar would get in on his own, the spokesperson didn't seem to know Hagar had a career for over a decade before joining VH. When I provided that information the response was "I don't listen to that kind of music." Uh, you mean, rock and roll? Hopefully, I don't need to spell out the irony.
Van Halen reunion with Roth? E! Online reports that a deal could be signed as early as today for a 40 city tour. An email I sent to Eddie Van Halen's rep on the West Coast this morning is unanswered. Given the time difference, I'll update later if this is confirmed.
MTV UK reports that Amy Winehouse and Jamie Callum were among a group kicked out of a London bar last night. The same report cites the Sun as saying that Jarvis Cocker and Ronnie Wood were also part of a group hanging around the bar's piano and apparently making too much noise for management. Perhaps the managers didn't realize they had the "next big thing" in their presence?
Speaking of Ronnie Wood if you've ever wanted to "jam with the Stones" as Spicoli would say, the next best thing might be a rock fantasy camp. Wood is reported to be among the instructors for a rock school that would also include Cream bassist Jack Bruce, Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker and Spencer Davis. Gigwise says that students paying the hefty tuition fee will also be taken to a recording session at Abbey Road Studios and play a gig at the Cavern in Liverpool.
Fall Out Boy is reportedly the latest victim of a leaked record. Pete Wentz told NME, "This isn't the end of the world, (but) it certainly feels pretty terrible." The band will reportedly add a bonus track to the official release to encourage fans to pay for the official version instead of downloading the leaked tracks.
Rumors are flying about the Who playing the monster Glastonbury festival. Artic Monkeys, Bjork, the Killers, Razorlight and the Smashing Pumpkins are also being tossed around as possible bands on the bill. Speaking of the Who, I read somewhere the other day that Pete Townsend sort of apologized for saying bands like the Stones were too old to tour anymore [insert your own "hope I die before I get old joke here].
I just got this mp3 from Chicago's Dearborn so I haven't had time to fully digest it. But, it sounded decent on a first listen and Jambase says: "Want to see a great rock band and dance your ass off? Then go see Dearborn, a rock and roll quartet from Chicago that knows how to blend killer riffs and catchy melodies with funky dance beats and flat-out grooves. This isn't emo, this isn't metal, this isn't prog. This is straight-up rock, and it's not to be missed." So, check them out! MP3:Already Down
Philadelphia's Dr. Dog is readying their new release. We All Belong will be released in February and the band, who in the past have toured wth Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, My Morning Jacket and other big names will embark on their own US tour. Label mates The Teeth will be on many of those dates. MP3:My Old Ways
The Ataris new record, Welcome the Night, drops on February 20th. I'm told that it is a bit of a departure from their previous stuff and that the record was produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds / David Byrne). If you listen carefully you may here hints of The Pixies and Sigur Ros. MP3:Connections Are More Dangerous Than Lies
I had the pleasure of meeting The Swear down in Atlanta this past summer. In addition to putting out some quality songs, these folks struck me as really good people. Elizabeth Elkins is a force whose delivery and lyrics on songs like "The Sleep Inside", "January" and "Deadfall" are as good as anyone in the rock game today. Elkins is joined by similarly able band mates in Jeremy Zamora (guitar), Kent Aberle (drums) and Kevin Williams (bass).
If the songs sound familiar, you may recognize them from one of several tv shows that have featured their tunes. The Swear have been played on Smallville (The CW), Roswell (The WB), Rescue Me (FX), Reunion (FOX), Life As We Know It (ABC), Wanted (TNT), Outward Bound (The Discovery Channel) and various MTV programs. In 2006, The Swear was also recognized on the Atlanta It List, as one of only five music acts (with Outkast, Sugarland, Ludacris and TI).
They have been tearing it up all over the South, but will make their first foray into NYC tomorrow night at Arlene's Grocery. If you're in the area stop on in, you won't be disappointed.
Norah Jones has a new record coming out next week. Not Too Late hits stores Tuesday, January 30th. The material is classic Norah Jones and not the punkish pop she'd been experimenting with last year in NYC clubs. Stream: Windows Media / Quicktime / Real
The Jesus and Mary Chain (yes another Scottish band!) are joining the list of reunions and will play at Coachella. You can refresh your recollection of JMC or if you weren't a child of the 80s discover them for the first time over at the Rhino Records site.
The Shins will be on David Letterman tonight. Via MySpace their label is encouraging fans to tape it and post it to the internet. I'm sure that'll make some lawyers happy. And, with all the hype you probably thought their new record, Wincing the Night Away, was already out when in fact it drops today.
Warm in the Wake will put out their new record on January 30th. The Decatur-based southern popsters are taking their melodic brand of indie rock on tour and you can get dates on their MySpace page. MP3: Tame Thoughts
According to their publicist, The Berg Sans Nipple "present a dazzling amalgam of dreamy electronica, percussion-heavy afro-beats, layers of feedback, pop melodies and dub blankets on Along the Quai." You can judge for yourself with a couple mp3s, I just wanted to see if we'd get some extra google hits from the word "nipple." Maybe we'll have more luck if we write "Jessica Simpson" next to it. MP3s:: Mystic Song and Along the Quai.
Singers gravitate towards American standards for many different reasons: Bette Midler went there cause the songs were right in her wheelhouse; Bob Dylan hit it for Good As I Been To You to make a point about (or avoid) music royalties and Rod Stewart dove in because . . . well, some things can’t be explained. With her latest album, Sing You Sinners, Erin McKeown, the often-folky, New York singer-songwriter is the latest artist to make a foray into the music of yore. Echoing back to the Great American Songbook period, the talented songwriter avoids any central message, focusing instead on the timeless melodies of yesteryear.
McKeown doesn't have the strong voice necessary to place at the forefront and make a centerpiece of these songs. Instead, she relies on her ability as an artist to get to the heart of the song. She gives a jazzy flair to tunes like "Get Happy" and "Rhode Island Is For You," but the oddness of songs like "Cou Cou" and "If You A Viper" becomes a bit distracting. McKeown definitely has an ear for the period: "Melody," the album's one original, blends so well it sounds transported from the decades past. McKeown barely modernizes the tunes, keeping them within the confines of their own era. For nostalgia's sake, Sing You Sinners may find a niche but for McKeown, her future doesn't lie in living in the past.
Check out Gym Class Heroes on AOL Music Sessions Undercover. They perform acoustic versions of 'Cupid's Chokehold' and 'The Queen And I' from the As Cruel As School Children record as well as putting their own spin on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Under The Bridge.'
If you're in NYC you should check out the Kerri Black's singer/songwriter showcase this Thursday January 25, 2007 at Mo Pitkins 34 Ave A. Kerry's bill includes Lin McEwan, Gregory Paul and Dave Doobin. The kicks off at 8:45.
Snow Patrol drummer's Jonny Quinn broken his arm while snow boarding. Yes, quite ironic. Quinn's injury will not side line the band. The rest of the Patrol will continue to tour with a replacement drummer. NME reports that ex-Therapy drummer Graham Hopkins will fill in.
Matt Russell will release his debut for Apology Records, Climbing, on February 6th. LocalBuzz says "Russell has an evocative, emotional voice that can deliver the raw power of stripped-down Springsteen one moment and the gruff, melancholic intimacy of Tom Waits the next." Listen to the title track here.
Amy Winehouse, who recently kicked off a US tour, continues to make label execs happy. She's #1 in the UK (two weeks in a row) and according to Island Records has now shipped over 500k albums. Amy has also been nominated for Best Album and Best Female Vocalist for the Brit Awards. Check out mp3s for "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good." YouTube has the video for Rehab here.
If you're going to write a song called "Punkrocker," there aren't too many better choices than to get Iggy Pop to sing it. That's exactly what Sweden's Teddybears did. Check out the video for Punkrocker here.
Pagoda is set to release their self-titled album on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label on Feb 27th. You can listen to their energetic "Lesson Learned" here.
Angels & Airwaves are working on their new record. They'll do some recording in Tom DeLonge's Macbeth recording studios. The band will also play an Earth Day concert at the school that wins the mtvU GE "ecomagination challenge."
In other green band news, O.A.R. has partnered with the Clif GreenNotes campaign to promote environmental awareness during the course of the band's Winter Tour with Gomez. Both bands are trying to "green up" their act by using biodiesel to fuel their tour buses, offsetting the tour's CO2 emissions through the purchase of clean, renewable wind energy credits, minimizing the idling of tour buses and staying at hotels identified as more sustainable.
Roger Waters contributes a track to the soundtrack for The Last Mimzy. The tune "Hello (I Love You)" features guest appearances by drummer Steve Gadd (Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Steely Dan), guitarist Gerry Leonard (music director/guitarist for David Bowie), with Waters on bass and vocals. The Last Mimzy's 6-year-old star Rhiannon Leigh Wryn also appears on the track, singing along with Waters on the chorus.
Stories are circulating that Paul McCartney has offered a divorce settlement to Heather Mills. Both sides probably want to avoid an ugly court scene. Again, the lesson here kids is that when you're a rich pop star be happy to have one "love of your life" or if you do marry again, get a pre-nup! Meanwhile on the music front, McCartney's "Jenny Wren", which earned Sir Paul a nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal, will appear on the Grammy Nominations 2007 compilation disc. Fellow nominees like Gnarls Barkley and Justin Timberlake appear on the collection as well.
Reports have Rage Against the Machine reuniting for Coachella in April. We'll have to see if they can come back together, and if they do, whether it will be just a one off or if something bigger comes of it.
The God Damn Doo Wop Band is putting their modern spin on old school doo wop. Check out their "Rooftops of Bangor" here. Score another interesting indie act for Minneapolis.
The Icicles are in the studio with Britt Meyers working on their next disc, tentatively titled, Arrivals & Departures, which is expected to hit stores this spring. In addition to Myers, the band has also worked with producer Dave Trumfio (OK Go, My Morning Jacket, Billy Bragg & Wilco) who produced The Icicles' EP, Pure Sugar. If you don't know the name, you may recognize their tune Sugar Sweet in a widely run Motorola commercial, which begs an interesting question. Can you get major play from a major corporation and still be an "indie" band? Apparently the answer is yes.
Of Montreal has a video out for the first single from their new record Hissing Fauana, Are You The Destroyer?. As expected, it is nothing like standard video fare. Check out "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" here.
Washington DC's The Vandaveers will release their full-length debut Grace & Speed in March. You can preview "However Takes it Takes" and "Marianne, You Done it Now." If you're in the DC area, you can see the band this week (1/25) at Iota opening for Mark Eitzel (American Music Club).
Yoko Ono and Cat Power have teamed up for "Revelations". The re-worked song, which originally appeared on Yoko's 1995 record Rising (which had its own guests with Sean Lennons and Timo Ellis). On the new remix disc, titled Yes, I'm a Witch, Yoko scores additional "indie rock" cred with an appearance by The Flaming Lips. Yes, the quotes on indie rock are to acknowledge that the Lips are in the Warner Brothers family.
The UK's Field Music could be Trans-Atlantic musical cousins to our Cold War Kids. The lads have a record coming out February 20th and you can preview "Sit Tight" here.
Circle Sound: Luther Dickinson & Rich Robinson Heat Up Manhattan
By: David Schultz
When The Black Crowes famously reunited for a week's worth of shows at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom, they selected a fine slate of artists to accompany them, including the North Mississippi AllStars. In addition to joining The Crowes for an encore of Elmore James' "Shake Your Money Maker" during that March 2005 run, the AllStars' lead guitarist Luther Dickinson (and his bandmates) rang in 2006 with the Robinson brothers at their New Year's concert at Madison Square Garden. As both bands are steeped in the southern tradition of the blues, it can't come as any surprise that they hit it off both on and off stage. No strangers to the joys and miseries of playing in a band with their brother, the Crowes' Rich Robinson and the AllStars' Luther Dickinson left their respective siblings at home to team up for an evening as Circle Sound.
While Circle Sound publicized their Friday night show at the Bowery Ballroom as featuring Robinson and Dickinson, it came with a heavy Black Crowes vibe. Current Crowes band members, keyboardist Rob Clores and bassist Sven Pipien, who is cultivating the Chris Robinson homeless hippie look, as well as former Crowes drummer Bill Dobrow rounded out the band. Aswirl with promises and rumors of special guests, expectations over surprise appearances ran amok and the presence of 2007 Hall Of Fame inductee and resident New Yorker Patti Smith sated all but the most unreasonable appetites for something exceptional.
Any hopes that Circle Sound would feature multiple guitar battles between The Crowe and The AllStar were quickly dashed. Robinson made no effort to match Dickinson's exemplary skills, providing rhythm guitars and complementary riffs instead of an old-fashioned duel. With his thick glasses and unkempt locks, Dickinson looks more like a librarian than a skilled bluesman. Bringing his customary phalanx of guitars, Dickinson switched axes every couple of numbers, notably breaking out a mandolin for a triptych of songs including Ry Cooder's "Boomer's Story," a song often covered by Chris Robinson when he sits in with Dickinson and the AllStars. Brother Rich seemed content to let Dickinson handle the leads, only once breaking out the slide guitar for a countryish version of Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight." For the encore, the two guitarists attempted some guitar theatrics on "Sunday Night Buttermilk Waltz," an acoustic, Led-Zep style outtake from Amorica. Dickinson seemed to throw off Robinson at the start of the song by switching guitars and the two seemed to play at odds with each other until the end when they finally meshed.
With the exception of a take on the AllStars' "Bang Bang Lulu" and the acoustic beginning to the encore, Circle Sound pretty much avoided NMA or Black Crowes fare, using their Bowery gig as an opportunity to have some fun. Becoming the night's most skilled cover band, Dickinson and Robinson breathed life into some wisely chosen classic rock covers, some old-school blues and a few Robinson originals. The band's best moments were on gritty blues tunes like "Spoonful," "Mean Old World" and a pair of Johnny Winter tunes. They dove heartily into the slinky off-kilter beat of The Rolling Stones' "I Just Wanna See His Face" and they expertly Crazy Horsed their opener, "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere."
Robinson and Dickinson shared lead vocals throughout the set: Robinson fronting during tunes from his 2004 album Paper; Dickinson handling the swampier blues and classic rock covers. However, Patti Smith's voice resonated the most. Near the end of the set, the politically outspoken singer mesmerized the crowd with a rendition of "Smoke Signals." While Smith may be physically showing her age, her voice and stage presence remain as captivating as ever.
Opening act Langhorne Slim also provided some nice variety. Playing a revved up acoustic guitar like Ray Lamontagne on steroids, the gullible in the crowd could have been convinced that Slim was a disguised Jack White.
Circle Sound's Bowery Ballroom show was one for the band, who seemed to truly enjoy the freedom of taking a night off from their usual catalog to play a set of their favorite tunes. Far from an indulgent night, Dickinson, Robinson, the rest of Circle Sound, Smith and Slim exceeded all expectations, producing a fast-paced night of quality blues and rock and roll.
[PHOTO CREDIT TO VANARK - Check out more of his fine work HERE.]
NYC's Demander are readying their new full length effort The Unkindness of Ravens. The band consists of Karen Correa (vocals/bass), Jared Scott (guitar) and Sivan Harlap (drums). When naming them band of the day, Spin compared them to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. However, Demander has their own unique brand of rock that'll get you up out of your seat.
You can check out two preview tracks here: Lovelife and Hollis. They also have an interesting animated video for Hollis. As an added bonus, Franz Nicolay from the Hold Steady is featured on a couple tracks of the new LP as well. The band will head west in February for some California dates and come back to the East Coast and work their way south in March toward SXSW. I hope to catch them somewhere along the line, and suggest you do the same.
Neil Young is releasing a set of previously unreleased live and studio tracks assembled from earlier days in his career. His Archives Volume 1 will consist of eight CDs and two DVDs and will be out later in the year. But, first Young is putting out a live solo cd, Live At Massey Hall, which was recorded in January 1971 in Toronto, Canada.
Garbage is set to hit the studio to record some new music. Drummer Butch Vig reportedly told MTV: "We're recording a couple new songs at the end of February. I think everyone's excited about getting back in a room and playing some music together. We've been working on it for a while. There was originally talk about doing a B-side and remix CD as well. I'm not sure what we'll do, but we have a lot of B-sides and remixes over the years, so it would be cool to see that come out in a proper package for our hardcore fans."
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists have a new record due out in March. Meanwhile, catch "The Sons of Cain" here. Another indie buzz band, Arcade Fire, are also readying new material. Their new record is called Neon Bible. You can listen to the track "Black Mirror" here.
Brooklyn's Pela, who struck me as very nice guys when I got to hang a bit with them in Philadelphia last summer, have announced a deal with Great Society records and will be putting out a full length disc in April. The band has a great live show and worth checking out if you haven't seen them yet.
For those who like a genre mixing, check out this track with a little Biggie, Tupac and others mixed over a mash-up of David Bowie's "Fame" and Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side."
Keller Williams got a bunch of friends together for his new record. Dream hits stores in February and includes appearances by Béla Fleck, Bob Weir, Michael Franti, Steve Kimock, The String Cheese Incident, Victor Wooten and a host of others.
A Wintry Sunplash In The City: Toots And The Maytals At The Canal Room
By: David Schultz
After Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff, there isn't a bigger name in reggae than Toots Hibbert. His widespread legacy includes an appearance in The Harder They Come, reggae's Citizen Kane, his songs have been covered by reggae artists and beyond and just recently contributed a cover of "Let Down" the Easy Star All Stars' Radiodread. Throughout their career, Toots and the Maytals have remained a viable live attraction, selling out Manhattan's Nokia Theater during last April's Green Apple Music & Arts Festival. This Wednesday, on one of the first frigid evenings to strike New York City this winter, the reggae legend returned to the Big Apple with his latest band of Maytals, warming things up by bringing Caribbean reggae and soul to a sold-out Canal Room.
Taking the stage in a snazzy purple suit, the 61-year-old singer led the Maytals through a quick version of "Pressure Drop." Opening the show with his biggest hit seemed akin to Lynyrd Skynyrd kicking off a show with "Free Bird," but Toots had more reggae classics in store and methodically worked his way through his back catalogue. It's been a while since Toots had an outburst of new material; his latest album consisted of high-profile duets with the likes of Eric Clapton, Ben Harper and Willie Nelson. As such, the set remained focused on original classics like "Funky Kingston," "Monkey Man" and "Reggae Got Soul" and adaptations like "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Louie, Louie."
Toots and the Maytals predominantly followed the same pattern for most of the songs. After a verse or two, Toots would engage in a call-and-response with the audience, giving them a chance to lustily sing along and then the band would speed the song up with the crowd bouncing excitedly along with Hibbert. Though repetitive, the pattern remained effective. A significant deviation from the formula occurred in the encore during Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams To Remember." Remaining stationary at the mike, Toots captured the song's smoldering soul
Even though he may be responsible for naming the genre in his 1968 hit "Do The Reggay," Toots has always been more than just a reggae singer. Clearly influenced over the years by James Brown, Toots remembered the Godfather Of Soul with a little off-the-cuff detour into "I Feel Good" with an accompanying Good Foot shuffle. The Maytals even modified their customary response to their leader's call to "hit me" from a reggae bounce into a James Brown sting. In working "Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud)" into a song, Toots acknowledged the predominantly white crowd, modifying the lyrics to exude pride in all races.
The one-off Canal Room show will be Toots and the Maytals last scheduled performance until March, when they play a slate of shows in Florida as well as the Langerado Music Festival.
Kelly Clarkson will have a little extra kick on her next record thanks for punk legend Mike Watt. Watt, currently playing with Iggy Pop and the Stooges, was impressed by the Idol's vocal abilities. He is quoted as saying "I heard that Kelly won some game show, but I was really impressed how she sang her ass off."
Kings of Leon told NME that their new record would be ready for an April 2nd release. But, the band also said we can expect a new single before then, probably in March.
Atlantic Records sent over a link to Paolo Nutini's vid for "New Shoes" - check it here.
The Post Chronicle speculates that Jewel may be in the running to replace Paula Abdul on American Idol if the spacey Paula continues her wacky ways. I don't see it happening. Fox is smart enough to know that people want to see what Paula will do next and the "is she or isn't she" tabloid headlines referring to intoxication are extra publicity for the show. Now, if she really goes off the deep end, maybe. But, for now I think Jewel will be sticking with Cowboy Troy on Nashville Star.
Minus the Bear is working on both a remix record and a disc of entirely new music. Scheduled for a summer release, the new record is tentatively titled Planet Of Ice and is being recorded by Matt Bayles (Isis, Mastodon). Meanwhile, MTB fans can look forward to Interpretaciones Del Oso, the band's remix record, which will be released Feb. 20th.
Deerhoof, who've toured with The Flaming Lips and Radiohead, is putting out their new record next week. Friend Opportunity hits stores on January 23rd and the band starts their US tour the next day in LA. Meanwhile you can check out their single "+81" here.
Jack Johnson, My Morning Jacket, Death Cab For Cutie, Widespread Panic, The Allman Brothers, John Hiatt, Guster, Blues Traveler, Government Mule and a host of other artists will appear on a tribute record to The Band called Endless Highway: The Music of the Band. The compilation is due out later this month.
NYC's As Tall As Lions will be part of Alternative Press Magazine's "Band You Need To Know" tour. Cute Is What We Aim For, Circa Survive and Envy On The Coast are also on the bill.
The New Orleans area is still in need of help. If you can't afford move there like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reportedly have, you can hopefully squeeze in a visit. A prime time to head to the Big Easy would be the first week in May. You can catch the 6th Annual Ponderosa Stomp on Wednesday May, 2nd at the New Orleans House of Blues. Roky Erickson of 13th Floor Elevators Fame will appear along with a host of others.
Scottish lass and Grammy nominee KT Tunstall is still receiving accolades for her very well done Eye to the Telescope, but is already working on her next release.
KT says: "I'm very happy with how the album is sounding so far so I've just got to get it finished. I should be in the studio at the moment but instead I'm here in Los Angeles. I should be finished the album by the end of February so we don't have long. There's a bit of pressure but that could be a good thing."
KT is nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Bloc Party has a new video for "I Still Remember" - you can check it out here. Meanwhile their other new tune "The Prayer" topped the NME charts for the second week in a row, and if you haven't seen it yet you can check that clip here.
American Idol boasted over 57 million viewers for their first night of Season Six. That's more than they've gotten for some of their finale shows and their second highest single show to date. For comparison, it is also the highest rated Fox premiere in total viewers in the network's history. I guess, for better or for worse, there's no end in sight to the Idol franchise.
Next week is Memphis, but don't forget to look for Earvolution friend Sabriena Stone when the New York area auditions air. And, as for last night, yes the "Big Red" dude from Seattle creeped me out too.
by Steven King
The band gelled in 2001 when original members Brock Butler (guitar) and Adam Perry (bass) hooked up with Matt McDonald (keys) and Albert Suttle (drums) in Savannah, GA. Working a touring schedule around the new band members' post 9/11 military responsibilities, Perpetual Groove built a solid following in the southeast before tackling the rest of the country. For the Saturday night show as part of their weekend stint at New York City's Knitting Factory, you could sense a big-time atmosphere in the air, ripe with expectancy. With their fan base growing at the same rate as their repertoire, the main room couldn't quite contain the scene that had flocked to The Knit. At the start of the night, there wasn't much room to move; ironically, by 1:30 a.m., when McDonald announced that the Saturday night show was their first New York City sellout, the crowd had drastically thinned.
Far from a Jekyll & Hyde affair, Perpetual Groove are better when they pursue more of roots-rock flavor than spacey explorations. On those occasions, guitarist Brock Butler takes the lead, laying down some nice solos and playing off of McDonald's keys and Perry's bass. When Butler gets down to serious jamming, he seems to withdraw into himself, tilting his head skyward, his face revealing an internal concentration while he channels everything into his guitar. Able to do more than just lay down some classic rock solos, Butler's also an effective and entertaining singer. When not throwing some well-timed monkey yawps into "Breeze," his pleasing voice gives the band another dimension. Whether by design or not, Adam Perry's bass licks boldly push their way to the front of the mix, joining with Albert Suttle's drums to give many of the tunes a weighty feel. Suttle's not only able to keep up with the electronica pace the band often sets but also provides worthy arena rock drum fills. With the sweat beading from his bald pate, Suttle powered the band into "Crapshoot" with his tribal drums
Perpetual Groove also has a gift for mixing different styles, succeeding where many bands find failure. For "Macumba," they skillfully integrated a reggae beat and a standard fifties guitar riff to create an interesting number that ponders the current whereabouts of penguins with the same interest given the subject by Lyle Lovett. Midsong, Butler popped a baseball cap onto his head, came from behind his steel guitar setup and began to lay down some white-boy rhymes from The Beastie Boys as well as a complete run through "Lazy Sunday," SNL's ode to cupcakes and Narnia. In the most surreal moment of the evening, Butler led the crowd through a quick but raucous chant of "Wu Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck wit." Though the rap interlude could easily have come across as forced, it worked spectacularly. Showing more range, the band closed their second set with "Only Always," a pop-style song eerily similar in structure to Spandau Ballet's "True" even down to the wordless phrasing.
By: David Schultz
Gnarls Barkley is still deservedly riding high on their platinum selling St. Elsewhere. Gnarls received five Grammy Award nominations, including "Record of the Year" for "Crazy" and "Album of the Year." The band also picked up nominations for "Best Alternative Music Album" and "Best Urban Alternative Performance" for "Crazy". Danger Mouse was also named in the "Producer of the Year" category for the 2nd year in a row. Gnarls will also perform live on the Grammy Awards show.
I had the pleasure of meeting 
By: David Schultz
By: David Schultz
