News

The five members of Sound Tribe Sector 9 will leave their California homes this spring for another musical road trip, with concerts booked throughout much of the U.S.

The hard-touring band, which blends live instrumentation with laptop grooves, will launch its latest trek April 6 in Santa Ana, Calif. They’ll head through Arizona and Texas to the South, winding their way up the East Coast by late April.

STS9 looks to head home after a May 6 Detroit gig, but the group will be back onstage in June at the two-day Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, Calif., as well as the Wakarusa Music Festival in Lawrence, Kan.

The band released a new album, ARTiFACT, last year, but STS9 fans know studio recordings are only the tip of the iceberg. The group offers live downloads, including dozens of full concerts from its recent winter tour, on its official Web site, sts9.com.

Source pollstar.com.

Swedish psych-rock outfit Dungen will be back in the U.S. this spring for its second major tour.

The band will do a week’s worth of West Coast dates coinciding with its appearance at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival April 29-30.

A month later, they’ll return for a round of dates on the other side of the Mississippi, starting in Chicago June 2. More than a dozen shows are planned that month, including two gigs in Canada and a slot at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn.

The EARL in Atlanta will host the last show of the trek June 18.

Source pollstar.com.

Known for her raucous and theatrical live shows, the ever-elusive PJ Harvey will finally release her first-ever live DVD, PJ Harvey on Tour — Please Leave Quietly, on May 2nd.

The collection, directed by Harvey’s longtime video director Maria Mochnacz, features footage from the notoriously guarded rocker’s U.S. and European tours in support of 2004’s Uh Huh Her. In addition, Please Leave Quietly offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the construction of the live shows — from stage sets to sound checks — as well as the previously unreleased tracks “Evol” and “Uh Huh Her.”

Source rollingstone.com.

Having recently performed in China for the first time ever, James Brown is ready for another round of blistering shows across the U.S. and Europe.

Backed by his nine-piece Soul General band and the General Sweet backup singers, the Godfather of Soul has dates booked throughout May from Oklahoma to New Jersey.

He’ll visit New York and Massachussetts in June before heading to Europe. Gigs are planned in half a dozen European countries, including an appearance at Ireland’s Oxegen Festival.

He’ll be back in the U.S. the following month, with a series of West Coast gigs planned into September. The last confirmed dates are mid-September shows in Missouri, Iowa and Indiana.

Source pollstar.com.

Two years since they reformed for the first time in more than a decade, the Pixies will reactivate for seven European shows in July. What happens after that is anybody’s guess, according to guitarist Joey Santiago. “It will be an organic process, I guess,” he tells Billboard.com. “After these shows, should we continue on? Should we let it rest? We really don’t know.”

For the upcoming gigs, which begin July 14 in Trencin, Slovakia, the Pixies “sought out places we haven’t been before,” according to Santiago. “We actually looked at a map while we were doing the last tour in Japan.”

Here are the Pixies’ tour dates:

July 14: Trencin, Slovakia (Pohoda)
July 15: St. Polten, Austria (Nuke)
July 16: Zagreb, Croatia (Salata)
July 19: Toulon, France (Voix de Gaou)
July 20: Lisbon (Atlantico)
July 21: Benicassim, Spain (Bennicasim Festival)
July 23: Carhaix, France (Les Veilles Charrues)

Source: billboard

Phil Lesh & Friends joins an already jam-packed lineup of artists for a headlining performance at the 4th Annual 10,000 Lakes Festival (10KLF) July 19-22, 2006 at the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, MN.

The perfect addition to 10KLF’s rich musical diversity, former Grateful Dead bassist and his band, Phil Lesh & Friends, perform on the Main Stage Friday, July 21, joining festival headliners Trey Anastasio on July 22 and The String Cheese Incident on July 20.

Drawing from a pool full of talented national, regional, and emerging acts, the 10,000 Lakes Festival seeks to be the nation

Vanderbilt University’s RItes of Spring Music Festival has added several artists to its already impressive lineup.

The latest confirmations include Ben Lee, Matt Pond PA, and Secret Machines, joining the previously announced My Morning Jacket, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ben Folds, and Gov’t Mule and more.

Rites of Spring, a Vanderbilt tradition for more than 30 years, is set for April 21-22 on the Nashville campus.

Other artists on the schedule include Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Blue Merle, Cary Brothers, B Young, Old Union, and Hot Buttered Rum.

Source pollstar.com.

On May 16, Lotus will release their brand new CD The Strength Of Weak Ties. The new album combines the rock edge of live guitars and percussion with the synthetic bleeps and crushing beats of dance music – and it works to a stunning effect. In a live setting Lotus, plays every note on the spot and nothing is ever prerecorded. The improvisational nature of the live show leads to a spontaneity and excitement that just can

Ivan Neville

Trey Anastasio Live: Let It Shine, a new one-hour radio special featuring Trey live on stage and in the studio, is set to air on radio stations nationwide in April 2006.

The setlist includes his best-known solo and Phish songs live, with his new band at NYC’s Madison Square Garden this past New Years Eve, and solo from an exclusive acoustic session recorded in New York a few weeks ago.

In an intimate conversation with host, Rita Houston, Trey discusses everything from his new album and songs to his time and relationship with Phish to his fledgling hockey career.

Participating stations and show details are expected to be released shortly