Well, Pink Floyd’sRoger Waters plays The Wallin its entirety tonight (5/22) at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon… I shall be there, and it shall be awesome. Review posted, um… maybe by Thursday? In the meantime, enjoy this…
Sigur Rós “Ég anda” video
pre-order Valtari here, and look out for the Mystery Film Experience coming soon for the rest of the album’s videos
5/4/12 Update: Ben Folds posted the 1st sneak peak (full track, free mp3 download) from the upcoming Ben Folds Five record… “Do It Anyway” http://bit.ly/IR7qg1
Ben Folds posted the following “airplane blog” last night on Facebook about the work they’ve done on the upcoming Ben Folds Five record… lots of news and insight…
About Ben Folds Five, the new album.
I’m writing this on a plane. I tweeted that I wanted to blog and most responses were – blog about the new album. Fine, I’ll start there. I won’t correct grammar or spelling so hopefully we’ll all deal. I’m typing as fast as I can… and I type damn fast if I do say so myself. I just screw up a lot….
The album started in January. We just started playing and recorded shitloads of stuff.
A way that I often wrote for us was to just sit and imagine what kind of sound, song, sentiment, arrangement I’d like to hear us do. It’s easy to imagine because we have a very distinct style of playing together that was pretty much writ in stone from our first rehearsal on. There were a couple of breakthroughs back in the day… Eddie Walker was one. We figured out some tonal stuff – the floor tom ride with lots of AAAHS and fuzz bass on the chorus was a defining technique for instance.
On the new album we’ve discovered quite a few new things like that. We’re tonally a few steps into the future. I remember when bands all had a ‘sound’. I know that sounds like a total old man thing to say, but hey if the orthopedic shoe fits… You know, a band that just set up their shit, played in the corner and just had a fresh sound. I’m not saying there’s no style today, just that plugging in and working with what you have makes you work hard to find a sound… okay. I’m rambling but that’s what I promised to do in the blog.
So we played hours of stuff on tape and it was inspired. Quite insane. I got little sleep for weeks as I had idea after idea on how to make these sounds into songs. I’d spend the mornings at the piano and then the guys would come in. It was a burst. We began on Pro Tools with the idea of moving off when we started recording ‘for real’ but we saw no advantage of moving over as we were only using the Tools as a tape deck anyway and were enjoying the freedom of being able to record more than a fifteen minutes of music at a time.
We set up in my studio in the same room with a little baffling, but without the interest in separation. In other words, for engineers, we welcomed bleed.
Lyrically it began to take shape quickly and we were much richer in ideas and material than any of the albums we did together. We were supporting each other, trying each idea instead of poo poo-ing each other’s creativity. It was a pretty amazing experience. UNTIL…
We ran out of time because I had stuff to do, Darren had a Hotel Lights tour and Robert’s son is too young to leave for too long. So we stopped and that’s where we are.
The lyric stuff. Loss of ego. That emerged as a theme. Ways to lose the ego. Funny thing is that I didn’t realize that each of those ego losing songs would be failures. I mean, each character who aspired to do so only succeeds for a short time and then the ego comes back. I guess that’s the way it works in real life. Anyway… for instance…. Being Frank. That’s a song on the album. It’s kind of historical fiction in a way. Certainly when Frank Sinatra died, he had a tour manager and let’s say that tour manager was with him his whole career. Decades. When Frank passed the tour manager might have realized that he’d spent most of his adult life setting the thermostat for someone else, eating his leftovers, essentially trying to think like Frank to anticipate his needs. Frank’s death would have been a crisis but an exciting one. How to be yourself when someone you’re attached to is gone. What kind of coffee do you like, who are you really? But then I started to realize that that tour manager would have wanted to take some credit for Frank’s career. He suggested THAT lyric or that TV show etc. Frank was really being HIM. Loss of ego, failure.
Other songs titles… Erase Me. Do It Anyway. The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind (that’s Nick Hornby’s lyric and my music). Sky High (beautifully written Darren song). We really spent quite a bit of production time on Sky High. It warranted it. You know that 10cc trick where they looped vocals, unison AHHHs and assigned each note to a fader on the console? Then they play the console like it’s a keyboard using the faders. We did that. Nobody does that and they should. It’s not “copying” 10cc… it’s recognizing that they invented an instrument. We play that instrument on Sky High. I’ll put up video of that. It’s kinda interesting.
What else… I’ve had a chorus that goes “If you can’t draw a crowd, draw dicks on the wall” for quite a while. Since Reinhold era. It had different melodies, but I always liked the idea. When someone wants attention and they don’t get it, often we do something really stupid or even destructive. The song is Draw A Crowd. It’s partially silly and partially deep. Many will latch on to the silly part and give me shit for it and maybe when they grow up they’re get the other part. If not, oh well. It’s okay. I like Kesha songs and some people don’t.
We’ll get back together in June. We kinda fucked up. We meant to finish the album and then do gigs. But we’re doing a few festivals and will be paddling ferociously between those gigs to finish our album. That’s alright. Deadlines are good.
I suppose the album should come out in September and we do not want to release it traditionally at all. I’m all into traditional record releases but for this one… I want to avoid ass kissing. It’s not healthy. I think we’re going to pass on radio promo and on most advance press. No sending it out for reviews etc. We’ll just let you know through Twitter and Facebook that it’s coming out. That’s the idea, and we’ll see how that goes. Maybe we’ll adjust our thinking. Just seems like such a musical experience I hate to be in the position of selling it to people who don’t care. I’d rather spend my time telling people who DO care and save the money and time. Sell fewer records probably to those who want it. That leaves more time to make new records and tour. Less ass kissing, more music and life. A good theory… we’ll see… lemme know what you think of that theory.
What else can I tell you. If you’re a Robert fan, you’ll shit. He’s better than ever and we’ve grown into knowing how to put him up front and letting him do what he does. Darren is playing lyrically as ever, like a fine jazz drummer – cymbals are gorgeous and he doesn’t give a damn so every once in a while he just makes a mockery of every drum fill you’ve ever heard but does it twice as crazy and makes it mean something. It’s quite damn amazing. Look out for what he does on a song called Michael Praytor. That song comes from a ‘rock this bitch’ partially. I’d always liked the melody but it comes to life with Robert and Darren in a way I never expected. Its a song about how some people just come back and back into your life whether you like it or not. You don’t choose them, they just show up.
There you go. I’ll do another blog now. The record pops out of the speakers and I’m finding myself wondering if we should tone it down. Nope. I think it’ll be just fine.
No word on when this will hit the US market, but Italian band Guano Padano is releasing their 2nd album, 2, on March 13, 2012(today!). It doesn’t show up in the US Amazon store (yet), but the whole album is streaming on Rolling Stone Italy. The track “Prairie Fire” features Mike Patton on vocals…
~Dan – np: John Zorn & Bobby Previte – Euclid’s Nightmare
Each day or so, until presumably they’ve all been streamed, Midwest singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey is releasing tracks from his upcoming album, The Good Stuff.
Here’s the first one – “But I Do” a standard written by Bobby Charles & Clarence Henry:
(notice: this is linked from PM’s site & may only be available for a short time)
Pre-ordering of the album will be live the week of March 20th (and it comes out March 27th). He’s in my “buy every time without question” club… a perpetual favorite. Do yourself a solid and add him to your collection!
The first session posted and the last session recorded from Pickathon 2011, Seattle-based singer-songwriter Damien Jurado and his new band take us through “Static To Be Sold” recorded by Live & Breathing in the Pickathon Pumphouse:
Per Damien, the song won’t be on the record, but will be out on a 7″ vinyl…
..and yes, it was as cramped as it looks. i remember, being only able to hear the cymbals. it was awesome!
On February 21, Secretly Canadian will be releasing the upcoming Damien Jurado LP, Maraqopa, another collaboration with musician/producer and Cottage Grove-Oregon resident, Richard Swift.
Go HERE for more info on Maraqopa. You can pre-order it HERE on CD or vinyl. There’s also a free mp3 download of “Nothing is the News” here:
Time for this year’s mix CD, except I decided to go CD-free this year. It’s still formatted to stay contained on one CD (20 tracks ~77 mins); so if you want to download the whole shebang and burn to a CD – go for it!
Check out 2009′s mix over here and 2010′s mix over here. No major theme this time like some of my prior mixes (4 Elements & A-to-Z mixes)… the only rule I placed before myself was that everything is current (i.e.- released in 2011). This year’s mix ended up mellower than most mixes from me. There are a few rock songs, but whilst re-listening, it’s definitely less rocky. I hope you enjoy.
The following songs were put on the mix from mostly lossless sources where possible and for promotional purposes only (read: free direct market advertising to people who decidedly love music). Most of the artists on this compilation are independent (put out the music themselves) or signed to smaller, independent labels. If you like what you hear, check out their music / support them with your wallet if you are able. The artists’ Webpage, Facebook, and Amazon links are available for each song below. I’ve also included concert review links if I’ve seen the artist recently.
Download the ZIP File (136M) available *HERE*, extract then drag & drop the mp3 files to your iTunes (or other playback software).
All Songs Streaming Playlist(click arrows to skip back & forth… for individual songs find them below. Note: Track 20 has explicit content.)
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01 Puscifer “The Green Valley” from Conditions of My Parole
Tool / A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan makes wine and makes other music in his time off from Tool and APC. I loved Puscifer’s debut and the subsequent EP, but this album tops it all. It’s a brilliant record, recorded in one of his wine cellars with his friends – featuring backing vocals from Carina Round. It’s self-released by Puscifer music with a small distribution partner (available in indie shops, primarily). While there are some rockers (maybe 1/3 of the album), this song is fairly representative of the feel of the album. It’s my #1 album in 2011.
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02 My Brightest Diamond “Be Brave” from All Things Will Unwind
Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond) took some time off since her last album – 2008′s A Thousand Shark’s Teeth. She put out some stunning collaborations in the past three years (including her first kiddo); so the lapse in studio work was a-OK. On this album, Shara teams up with NYC-based ensemble yMusic to create a lush backdrop for her gorgeous voice. It’s my #2 album in 2011. I can’t praise it enough!
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03 Ric Hordinski “My Pretty Bagatelle” from Arthur’s Garden
Guitarist extraordinaire Ric Hordinski (formerly of Over the Rhine – in their rockier days) has been a favorite of mine for a LONG TIME. He’s the kind of guitarist who is subtle and unassuming in his approach, but you end up wracking your brain how he gets such lush and complex sounds out of the frets. This album was part of a Kickstarter campaign, and while the physical manifestation hasn’t hit my mailbox yet, I was happy he sent it out to Kickstarter funders early. It’s such a great record… you can get it now on bandcamp!
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04 Goddamn Electric Bill “Sin” from Jazz
GdEB is the one-man brainchild of Jason Torbert. He hits the spot for organic electronic meets post-rock for me. Ambient at times, melodic other times. His latest work has featured some vocals, but he’s primarily a groove-induced soundscape kind of guy. Chirps and glitches, too. Excellent stuff!
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05 Radiohead “Codex” from The King of Limbs
I could probably put the “indie” icon next to Radiohead, too… I think technically they put TKOL out by themselves. But they’re a huge superpower of a band. I like this record, but I’ll admit that it’s still sinking in… I need to give it some more spins. This album spawned a seven 7″ vinyl remix set. The video for “Lotus Flower” also spawned a silly “Thom Yorke dancing” meme… one of my favorites being the tennis/fish and the “Single Ladies” editions.
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06 Garage A Trois “Assault on Precinct 13” from Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil
Skerik, Stanton Moore, Marco Benevento (who replaced Charlie Hunter) and Mike Dillon make their way through Oregon quite a bit. They are a sight to see – you don’t know exactly what kind of show you’ll get, but it’s definitely a fun time. Fun, groove-oriented “new jazz.”
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07 dredg “The Tent” from Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy
I love this band. I hate the album title, but I love the band. Modern progressive rock, tons of talent, thoughtful lyrics, none of that “prog wankery” that is generally detestable. While it’s hard for them to follow-up the stunning The Pariah The Parrot The Delusion, this new album does a hearty job of maintaining their quality rock standards.
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08 Tres Mts. “Makes Me Feel” from Three Mountains
Supergroup made up of dUg Pinnick of King’s X, Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, and Richard Stuverud of the Fastbacks. They jangle through about an hour of solid rock tunes… more closely resembling a soulful King’s X trajectory vs. Pearl Jam – mainly due to dUg’s vocal duties. This is a great trio that I hope isn’t a one-off. With King’s X on tour in 2012, I doubt we’ll hear more from Tres Mts for a while, though.
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09 Chamberlain/Krauss/Phelps “Everest” from Modular: Sonic Explorations
Gorgeous soundscapes from Matt Chamberlain, Viktor Krauss, and Dan Phelps. The Modular Project is the collaboration of the aforementioned musicians working together to “discover what the spontaneous and organic manipulation of sound can yield. Inspired by the world around them, they set out to discover what it might sound like when continents shift, clouds form, and roots push through soil.” This track, “Everest,” features one of my favorite cellists – Eyvind Kang (who has worked with Secret Chiefs 3, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Mike Patton). It’s a great mix of cello, vibes and soaring atmosphere. It’s only available digitally or on vinyl (it’s a luscious triple-gatefold!)…
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10 Jeffrey Foucault “Passerines” from Horse Latitudes
Jeffrey Foucault is a favorite Americana artist that I got turned on to by singer-songwriter/storyteller Peter Mulvey. Jeffrey and Peter work together in the band Redbird (with David Goodrich and Jeffrey’s wife Kris Delmhorst). I didn’t pick up Jeffrey’s albums until the past year and a half. He’s definitely more on the cusp of country than I tend to traverse, but I dig his authenticity, poetic wit and charm. He’s a delight on stage and a fantastic Prine-esque songwriter for the new generation.
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11 Peter Mulvey & David Goodrich “Drumlin Trail” from Nine Days Wonder
Peter Mulvey has toured all over the US and the world for about 2 decades. Some of the first times I saw him in concert, he had “Goody” with him on backing guitar. They don’t get a chance to tour together much lately, but they did find some time to hole-up inside a studio to write and record some instrumental guitar duets. While I love Peter’s vocal storytelling, it’s nice to hear his and Goody’s instrumental interplay tell a different story.
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12 Steven Wilson “Home in Negative” from Grace for Drowning
Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson is a hard worker. Whether he’s producing albums for others or making albums & touring with PT, Blackfield, No-Man, Storm Corrosion, or solo – he’s always busy each and every year. This year brought his second solo album and a small tour. The album is a bit more stripped down from his other projects. It is reminiscent of Pink Floyd in spots – specifically this song “Home in Negative.” He also rocks out a bit in the almost two hour double album… check out the video for “Track One” here (it’s a bit bleak then startling). Gorgeous work.
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13 Wussy “Pulverized” from Strawberry
Well, I was super happy when I found out that Wussy was putting out their fourth full-length studio album this year. They’re a fantastic rock quartet made up of Chuck Cleaver, Lisa Walker, Mark Messerly, and Joe Klug. They write catchy, poppy choruses and meld it perfectly with Midwest Americana-meets-indie-rock grit (or “Midwestern drone” as their press says). Vocal duties are traded off with Chuck (of Ass Ponys) and Lisa (of Magic Words).
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14 Pomplamoose “Telephone” from The Album You Bought At Our Show…
This is the song that got me into Pomplamoose. It’s a cover of the collaboration between Lady Gaga and Beyoncé (whose ridiculous but still kind awesome original video has 129 million hits as of Dec 2011). Pomplamoose does “video songs,” and this was the hook to lure me in. Click the image at the left to see their video of the song. The CD came out this year as part of their first tour ever… which I caught in Portland. Excellent, fun band!
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15 David Bazan “Wolves at the Door” from Strange Negotiations
Continuing in his solo expressions after the official ceasing of Pedro the Lion, David Bazan manifests wit, a sharp tongue, and a questioning mind into his DIY-indie rock. This year, he toured quite a bit, solo and with a band. An album last year (Curse Your Branches), an album this year, and another on the way. He’s slogging away, trekking all over the country, and making some great music on the way.
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16 John Zorn “Song of Experience” from At the Gates of Paradise
“Channeling the work of Romantic visionary William Blake and ancient Gnostic writings from the Nag Hammadi archives, At the Gates of Paradise is the newest installment in Zorn’s ever growing catalog of mystical works. The music is filled with bright light and a childlike innocence, and ranges from long form compositions with constantly shifting time signatures that unfold with a compelling inner logic to mysterious ballads and hypnotic moods.” The album features a quartet that I know and love from many jazz/avant outfits: drummer Joey Baron (Masada and many more), bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr Bungle, Fantômas, Nels Cline Singers), keyboardist John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood) and vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen (Sex Mob, Electric Masada, etc).
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17 Over the Rhine “Days Like This” from The Long Surrender
For those that don’t know Over the Rhine, they started out as a four piece in Cincinnati in 1989 and put out their “post-nuclear, pseudo-alternative, folk-tinged art-pop” indie debut ‘Til We Have Faces in 1991. After about a decade as a four-piece, Ric Hordinski (guitars) & Brian Kelley (drums) left. Karin Bergquist (vocals) & Linford Detweiler (keys) carried on the Over the Rhine flame throughout the years… moving away from a rockier feel to a more folky-pop-Americana thing. What I like about Over the Rhine is they continually change and evolve into a different band with each album and each outing. I’ve seen them rock out, I’ve seen them jazz it up, I’ve seen them happy, I’ve seen them somber, I’ve seen them celebratory, and I’ve seen them tell stories that will make you laugh and cry. This tune was written by fellow Cincinnati singer-songwriter Kim Taylor (it originally appeared on her 2008 EP The Greatest Story). I’d highly recommend checking her out as well.
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18 Elysian Fields “Sleepover” from Last Night On Earth
Brooklyn-based sultry art rockers Elysian Fields don’t really tour outside of NYC often. Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow find their way to Europe on occasion, but most U.S. fans only really have their studio albums to sate their musical desires. This is their sixth full-length album in their near 16-year career. Well crafted, well produced, lush vocals and folk meets dusky jazz.
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19 Kevin Moore “Hypnogogic” from Shine
This is a little palette cleanser for the mix CD – right before the end. Kevin Moore’s main projects are the trippy/sample-heavy Chroma Key & heavier prog collaboration band O.S.I. (with Jim Matheos). Shine is the soundtrack to the 2006 Turkish film Küçük Kiyamet (“Little Apocalypse“). It came out in early 2011 after a successful Kickstarter in 2010. The next album from O.S.I. comes out in February 2012 on Metal Blade. I can almost guarantee it will be my Top album of 2012, and I haven’t heard a shred of it yet.
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20 Childish Gambino “Heartbeat” from Camp(warning: explicit content)
I first heard of Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) like many people – via television. Donald plays Troy Barnes on NBC’s Community. I’ve heard a few of his albums, but this was his first full-length with a wide release. This song almost didn’t make the cut, but the melody in the chorus and the grinding keyboards just made it to difficult to ultimately cut from the mix. Brilliant song about the messiness of dating. If you’d like the “clean” version of the song, there is a “clean” version of the whole album on Amazon.
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Near misses from the mix: something from Earth’sAngels of Darkness Demons of Light 1 & Opeth’sHeritage (songs are too long) and Azealia Bank’s “212″ (infectious as hell)… plus songs from several other albums that’ll still be on my Best of 2011 lists (coming soon).
Let me know what you think… If you enjoyed what you heard, please support the music. Definitely feel free to pass the link the mix along:
http://tinyurl.com/MixyD2011
~Dan – np: Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials
there are no torrents, free mp3 or other downloads available
From the 12/13/11 show at Soho in Santa Barbara. Closest I will make it to a holiday song this year. More of an OWS support ditty with a seasonal reference in the chorus… Be happy, be well.
Also, rest in peace, Christopher Hitchens. You were great. God is Not Great.
We are so, so excited to tell you that a new Damien Jurado record is going to be released on February 21st! It’s called Maraqopa, and we are sharing the first song with you, “Nothing is the News,” today.
Welcome to Maraqopa population, 2. Damien Jurado’s newest collaboration with producer Richard Swift drops us into a brutal and benevolent landscape. The bold strokes and new turns the pair made with 2010′s Saint Bartlett are taken even further. He throws open the gate on his oft insular dirges and allows them do some real wilding out in the canyon. In Maraqopa, the vistas are miles-wide; the action is more dynamic; the close-ups sweaty and snarling. The strummed desert blues that begin “Nothing is the News” quickly bursts open into an Eddie Hazel-worthy supernova shred session, all of it swirling in tinny-psych and Echoplex’d howls. We’ve never heard anything like this from Jurado.
Listen to (and download the mp3 for) the lead-off track “Nothing is the News” here:
Maraqopa Tracklisting:
1. Nothing is the News
2. Life Away from the Garden
3. Maraqopa
4. This Time Next Year
5. Reel to Reel
6. Working Titles
7. Everyone a Star
8. So On, Nevada
9. Museum of Flight
10. Mountains Still Asleep
Also announced was a “phone booth” that you can presumably call in and leave Damien a message:
Maraqopa phonebooth (425) 234-7859
This number has been set up for you to call anytime of the day. The distorted sound of a piano will play, and then you leave a message. This is a voice mail service, no human will answer.
I have no idea what the purpose of this phone booth may be… I dare you to call in an order of take out.
Another Daytrotter from David Bazan. His third time in the studio, this time for promotion of his latest album – Strange Negotiations. He’s starting a big month and a half long tour with a band next week. Check out the dates below…
Of the few websites that aren’t RSS feed-able that made it to my “must check every day” list… Daytrotter is great…
1) Eating Paper 2) Level With Yourself 3) Virginia
David Bazan + Band Tour – Fall 2011
11/01 Tue – Spokane WA - A Club 11/02 Wed - Boise ID - Neurolux 11/04 Fri - Colorado Springs - The Black Sheep 11/05 Sat - Lawrence KS - Bottleneck 11/06 Sun - Omaha NE - The Waiting Room 11/07 Mon - Iowa City IA - Blue Moose Taphouse (upstairs) 11/09 Wed - Milwaukee WI - Cactus Club 11/10 Thu - Indianapolis IN - White Rabbit Cabaret 11/11 Fri - Newport KY - Southgate House 11/12 Sat - Grand Rapids MI - Ladies Literary Club 11/13 Sun - Pittsburgh PA - Brillobox 11/14 Mon - Hoboken NJ - Maxwell’s 11/15 Tue - Baltimore MD - Ottobar 11/17 Thu - Charlottesville VA - The Southern 11/18 Fri - Norfolk VA - Jewish Mother 11/19 Sat - Charlotte NC - Evening Muse 11/20 Sun - Columbia SC - New Brookland Tavern 11/21 Mon - Knoxville TN - Pilot Light 11/26 Sat - Athens GA - Caledonia Lounge 11/27 Sun - Nashville TN - Mercy Lounge 11/29 Tue - St Augustine FL - The Original Cafe Eleven 11/30 Wed - Tampa FL - Crowbar 12/01 Thu - Tallahassee FL - Engine Room 12/02 Fri - Oxford MS - Proud Larry’s 12/03 Sat - Memphis TN - Hi Tone 12/04 Sun - Norman OK - Opolis 12/06 Tue - Albuquerque NM - Low Spirits 12/07 Wed - Tucson AZ - Solar Culture 12/08 Thu - Las Vegas NV - Beauty Bar 12/09 Fri - Costa Mesa CA - Constellation Room 12/10 Sat - Santa Cruz - Crepe Place 12/11 Sun - Sacramento CA - Blue Lamp 12/12 Mon - Arcata CA - Jambalaya 12/14 Wed - Eugene OR - Sam Bond’s Garage
This fall is turning into a flippin’ brilliant season for new music… My Brightest Diamond, Wussy, and Puscifer… all gems. Now some more…
Cincinnati-based singer-songwriter Jason Ludwig (formerly of Noctaluca) released two new albums last Friday. I’ve spent a few days with them, and I LOVE-love-LOVE them. I can’t say which one, Lost in Love or Tanglings, that I like more – but they’re both vying for a spot on my Best Albums of 2011 List. They’re only available as a digital download (mp3 or FLAC) via Jason’s bandcamp page, but the awesome part… they’re only $5 each.
Go to jasonludwig.com for samples and then buy them. Well-produced, well-arranged, creative singer-songwriter that reminds me of a cross between the pop of Glen Hansard (of the Swell Season and the Frames) and the creative of Daniel Johns (of Silverchair). If you don’t like them, I’d be surprised.
More new music news…
My favorite living trumpet-player/composer, Dave Douglas, started a new digital download music series this year on his record label, Greenleaf Music, called GPS (Greenleaf Portable Series). Greenleaf recently launched a cloud player with their entire catalog, they’re putting out an iPad/iPhone App, and they just announced that they’re going to put out the three GPS releases thus far (Rare Metals, Orange Afternoons, Bad Mango) as an extremely limited 3-CD boxset called Three Views.
More info coming soon from Greenleaf, but it’s expected before year’s end.
~Dan – np: My Brightest Diamond – All Things Will Unwind
Update 10/3, 10/6 & 10/15 with updated venues and ticket information.
Puscifer tour dates leaked early at the end of this promo video (were supposed to be out tomorrow)…
Puscifer is Maynard James Keenan (Tool/A Perfect Circle), Mat Mitchell, Josh Eustis, Carina Round, Matt McJunkins and Jeff Friedl. Carina Round is the opener. More dates to be announced soon as well. I hope Portland is on there, otherwise I may make the trekka up to Seattle. Venues to be announced tomorrow…
10/31 – David Letterman
11/7 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
11/9 Salt Lake City, UT Capitol Theatre
11/10 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
11/12 St. Louis, MO Peabody Opera House
11/14 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
11/15 Chicago, IL Cadillac Palace Theatre
11/17 Cleveland, OH Lakewood Civic Auditorium
11/18 Toronto, ON Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
11/19 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
11/22 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
11/23 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre
11/25 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Academy of Music
11/26 Washington, DC Lisner Auditorium
11/27 Charlotte, NC Ovens Auditorium
11/29 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
11/30 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
12/2 Tulsa, OK Brady Theatre
12/6 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
12/9 Phoenix, AZ Ikeda Theater
12/10 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl
Additional dates to be announced shortly.
Tickets for all shows go on-sale Friday, Oct. 7 at 12 noon local time via venue box offices, as well as Ticketmaster and Live Nation websites. A limited number of VIP packages, featuring wine tastings and a more mysterious Puscifer encounter, will be available simultaneously via http://puscifer.frontgatetickets.com.
The album, Conditions of My Parole, comes out October 18th. You can add the mp3 download and CD version to your wishlist and pre-order the vinyl version now on Amazon.
~Dan – np: Toad the Wet Sprocket – Bread and Circus
Ken Andrews posted a new blog with an update about Digital Noise Academy, his online collaboration with Charlotte Martin, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Sharky Laguana, Tommy Walter, Fernando Sanchez, and Jordon Zadorozny. His blog is annoyingly white text in a jpeg format… so, head on over to his blog site to read it (I ain’t about to type it up).
There’s a new streaming song (“Thursday Night Party“) – the second and last free tune from the project. Join the discussion about how to monetize the project; so it sees the light of day without being thieved. The songs “Thursday Night Party” and “Melting Inside” can also be downloaded for free via links at http://www.digitalnoiseacademy.com/.
Radiohead’s UK Record Store Day release of “The Butcher / Supercollider” got leaked… find the (vinyl rip) Soundcloud streams here. If you’re crafty, you know how to download the mp3s. The vinyl comes out in the U.S. in June. I shall buy it then…
Update 4/18: If you pre-ordered the “Newspaper edition” of The King of Limbs from Radiohead, check your “Order Tracking” link on the kingoflimbs webpage. Your high-quality, legal download of the songs is available (mp3 or WAV, depending on what format you originally ordered).
~Dan – np: Radiohead – The King of Limbs File Sharing Policy: There are no free mp3 download or FLAC torrents for any albums on this blog (nor will there ever be). On occasion, there are links for songs for free download (legally provided by the artist). If you like music, support the artists. Buy it!!
Today is the day… the first two songs are available for download. Go to the original post (below) for info on how to get Medeski Martin & Wood’s “Me2” and “Shackman“…
Medeski Martin & Wood have been around for 20 years. And to celebrate, they’re digitally releasing two new, never-released tracks each month (starting March 29th), for a total of 20 tracks by the end of the year. You can pre-order the entire package now for only $9.90… right HERE. If you wait until after March 29th, the price per download is $0.99. So, act now, and get the new tracks for essentially half price. With the pre-order, you wi … Read More
Medeski Martin & Wood have been around for 20 years. And to celebrate, they’re digitally releasing two new, never-released tracks each month (starting March 29th), for a total of 20 tracks by the end of the year.
You can pre-order the entire package now for only $9.90… right HERE. If you wait until after March 29th, the price per download is $0.99. So, act now, and get the new tracks for essentially half price.
With the pre-order, you will be alerted by email when the monthly 2 tracks become downloadable! The first two tracks will become available for download March 29th, 2011. See below for the release schedule for the remaining tracks:
Glen Phillips & Sean Watkins project Works Progress Administration just put out a new EP, entitled 4×4, with buddies Sebastian Steinberg and Jerry Roe.
So, the new Radiohead album The King of Limbs is out now (not tomorrow). They put it on their download servers early… so, if you bought it, go get it. If you didn’t, go buy it and get it! http://www.thekingoflimbs.com/
They also put out the video for “Lotus Flower“
Produced and Directed by Garth Jennings
Choreographed by Wayne McGregor
Director of Photography- Nick Wood
Editor- Leila Sarraf
The video features Thom Yorke as an “old man dancing”… :) The choreographer is a genius. Not because of his output… but because he was able to earn some income for services rendered to Radiohead. I mean, isn’t that style just called “Thom Yorke stage presence”…?
~Dan – np: Radiohead – The King of Limbs
File Sharing Policy: There are no free mp3 download or FLAC torrents for any albums on this blog (nor will there ever be). On occasion, there are links for songs for free download (legally provided by the artist). If you like music, support the artists. Buy it!!
Screw the Grammys… there’s a new Radiohead album coming out!
The King Of Limbs by Radiohead
Pre-order Radiohead’s The King Of Limbs now. Release dates: Digital: Feb 19, Retail: Mar 28 (Europe) Mar 29 (US/N.A.), Newspaper Edition: May 9. The newspaper edition includes:
Two clear 10″ vinyl records in a purpose-built record sleeve.
A compact disc.
Many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together.
The Newspaper Album comes with a digital download that is compatible with all good digital media players.
The Newspaper Album will be shipped on Monday 9th May 2011 you can, however, enjoy the download on Saturday 19th February 2011.
Shipping is included in the prices shown.
One lucky owner of the digital version of The King Of Limbs, purchased from this website, will receive a signed 2 track 12″ vinyl.
mp3 & Wav formats available $48 (mp3) or $35 (wav).
As you can imagine, the server is working overtime… maybe wait a few hours to order.
What is the significance or meaningof the name The King of Limbs? Here’s some thoughts on the album name & artwork, courtesy of The Jammin Jabber blog…
King of Limbs is apparently a thousand year-old tree that inhabits Savernake Forest, which is in close proximity to the house the band recorded In Rainbows in. It is also a term referenced in the Koran (those wacky liberal musicians!)
But the true King of Limbs is older than any future paper or book of fairy tales. He’s been prowling the murky depths for millions of years, biding his time- and now’s his time to shine! That’s right, I’m talking about a little cephalopod who goes by the name of Octopus vulgaris. No one has more limbs than that motherf*cker! And Radiohead knows it, because guess who graces the cover of the new album in all their majestic glory? Not Allah or some goddamn tree, but your garden variety ghost octopus, commonly referred to as a ghoctopus. Long live the king!
Visit TheJamminJabber
Radiohead album #8… octopus cover. Makes sense to me.
~Dan – np: Ozomatli – Ozomatli
File Sharing Policy: There are no free mp3 download or FLAC torrents for any albums on this blog (nor will there ever be). On occasion, there are links for songs for free download (legally provided by the artist). If you like music, support the artists. Buy it!!
Two Daytrotter posts in a row? Well, they continually put out great in-studio sessions for FREE. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to the normal thing… my Reptet live review from last night coming up by Monday (with photos from their Eugene show at Luckey’s).
This Daytrotter session is from Inlets (aka Sebastian Krueger). I first saw Inlets back when I was visiting NYC in March 2007. He had connections to My Brightest Diamond (Shara Worden), and that show really clued me into his wonderfulness. He played on her A Thousand Shark’s Teeth record, and in 2007 his Vestibule EP was available for free (legally). I’m sure you can still find it (or if you ask Sebastian nicely).
Of the few websites that aren’t RSS feed-able that made it to my “must check every day” list… Daytrotter is great…
Sorry for the late post… I’ve been gone for work. Earlier this week, the newly-not-indie-anymoreIron & Wine‘s newest Daytrotter session was posted. The few websites that aren’t RSS feed-able that made it to my “must check every day” list… Daytrotter is great…
This blog and concert photos therein are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Available with Attribution for Non-Commercial, Non-Derivative Use.
File Sharing Policy: There are no free mp3 download or FLAC torrents for any albums on this blog (nor will there ever be). On occasion, there are links for songs for free download (legally provided by the artist). If you like music, support the artists. Buy it!!
Tool / A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan makes wine and makes other music in his time off from Tool and APC. I loved Puscifer’s debut and the subsequent EP, but this album tops it all. It’s a brilliant record, recorded in one of his wine cellars with his friends – featuring backing vocals from Carina Round. It’s self-released by Puscifer music with a small distribution partner (available in indie shops, primarily). While there are some rockers (maybe 1/3 of the album), this song is fairly representative of the feel of the album. It’s my 
http://glenphillips.bandcamp.com/track/the-next-day-2
More info coming soon from Greenleaf, but it’s expected before year’s end.
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
