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Canadian sibling rock act Tegan & Sara’s upcoming DVD, “If It’s Not Fun, Don’t Do It,” will include the usual ingredients: a full concert recorded last year in Toronto, the band’s videos and some surprising fan-created footage. But according to group member Sara Quin, it will also feature a lot of good, old fashioned chatting.

“There’s going to be so much commentary — Tegan and I just use any excuse we can to talk,” she tells Billboard.com of the set, due Feb. 7. “We already did the commentary [over the live show], and we don’t even talk about the concert. We just use it as a jumping off point, like, ‘Hi, we’re Tegan & Sara and this is our show. So anyway, this one time…'”

“If It’s Not Fun” will also include the DVD component that was packaged with the 2004 studio album, “So Jealous,” as well a 24-minute tour movie shot by Tegan. “We think it’s absolutely hilarious,” Sara says, “But it’s a lot of inside jokes, so it’s hard to get a handle on if it’s actually funny.”

Along those lines, Sara says to look out for an unusual fan enterprise that made her “lose [her] mind. We had a fan e-mail us and say she was making marionettes of our band. We get tons of e-mails about crafty things. But this girl made puppets of our entire band!” The attention to detail was such that the girl sewed clothes to resemble what the band wears on stage.

“So we told her, ‘If you film the marionettes, we will put it on the DVD.’ And she made drums and amps and filmed a video and a 10-minute documentary of the marionettes talking on the bus,” Sara reports. “It’s so weird and bizarre, but it’s great.”

Tegan & Sara open a headlining tour of the Southeast Wednesday (Nov. 23) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and will spend part of January in Japan opening for the All-American Rejects. In addition, Sara says plans are in the works for the band to return to America in early 2006.

Source billboard.com.

Dinosaur Jr. – who has never before released a DVD – has finally announced plans to issue an official Dinosaur Jr. DVD release. This full length concert DVD, which will feature the band in its original line-up, will be filmed at New York’s legendary Irving Plaza on December 2-3, and at other shows along the band’s Fall Tour. The DVD will be directed by Gold In Berlin, which is run by Mascis’ own brother in-law, German filmmaker Phillip Virus. With unfettered access to this famously elusive band, fans can expect complete backstage access to Dinosaur Jr.’s recent reunion tour, one-on-one interviews, behind the scenes goings-on and a full set of performances of Dinosaur Jr. favorites. The DVD will be packed with bonus materials that any fan of the band – seasoned or brand new – will find thrilling and entertaining. Look for the DVD to be released during the first half of 2006.

In spring of 2005 the original members of Dinosaur Jr. – J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph – announced they would play their first shows together in fifteen years; one of music’s most celebrated alternative rock pioneers, who split abruptly after only three albums, would roam again. Avid fans of the band knew that the impossible had happened – the reunion of J and Lou seemed as likely as aliens landing, music lovers quietly anticipated a rare second chance to see the legendary live show they had regretfully missed over a decade before, and young listeners, too young to have been there for the first time around, lined up for venue entrance like the generation before them.

Dinosaur Jr.’s current list of tour dates is as follows:

Monday, November 28 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI
Tuesday, November 29 Metro Chicago, IL
Wednesday, November 30 Metro Chicago, IL
Thursday, December 1 Mr. Smalls Theater Millval, PA
Friday, December 2 Irving Plaza New York, NY
Saturday, December 3 Irving Plaza New York, NY
Sunday, December 4 Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub, Cambridge MA
Monday, December 5 Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub, Cambridge MA

Elvis Costello is planning a world symphony tour with longtime collaborator Steve Nieve. Dates have not yet been confirmed for the outing, which is expected to launch early in January.

The pair will be joined by local orchestras throughout the tour, which will feature a suite from “Il Sogno,” Costello’s inaugural full-length orchestral work, originally commissioned by the Italian dance company Aterbaletto, and recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. Also to be included are songs arranged for voice, piano and orchestra by Costello, Nieve, Sy Johnson, Bill Frisell and Vince Mendoza.

In that vein, a July 2004 performance by Costello with the Metropole Orkest will be released Feb. 24 via Deutsche Grammophon as “My Flame Turns Blue.” Captured at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, the concert found the artist joined by the 52-piece jazz orchestra to perform songs from his catalog and several previously unrecorded works. The group also joined Costello for a New York performance later in the month.

Among the offerings are versions of Costello’s “Clubland” and “Watching the Detectives,” his lyrical version of Charles Mingus’ “Hora Decubitus” and the title track, which features lyrics he wrote for Billy Strayhorn’s final composition, “Blood Count.” The set also includes performances of “Speak Darkly, My Angel,” “Can You Be True?” and “Upon a Veil of Midnight Blue,” none of which have previously appeared on an official Costello release. A bonus disc features a 45-minute suite from “Il Sogno.”

“This record may explain what I’ve been doing during the last 12 years when I haven’t had an electric guitar in my hands,” Costello writes in the disc’s liner notes.

As first reported here, Costello is slated to head into the studio this week to begin a collaboration with songwriter/arranger/pianist Allen Toussaint. Joe Henry will produce the album for Verve Records.

Source billboard.com.

Rock legend David Bowie is in talks to play inventor Nikola Tesla in “The Prestige,” a thriller from “Batman Begins” director Christopher Nolan.

The cast also includes Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine in a tale of rival magicians in early 20th century London. The Tesla character is based on the real-life Serbian-American who discovered the rotating magnetic field.

The script, on which Nolan is working, is based on Christopher Priest’s 1996 novel and was adapted by Nolan’s brother, Jonathan, who also wrote the short story on which Nolan’s breakout movie, “Memento,” was based. The movie is scheduled to shoot in January with a budget in the $40 million range.

Bowie’s screen acting credits range from 1976’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth” to 1983’s “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” 1996’s “Basquiat” and, most recently, 2000’s “Mr. Rice’s Secret.”

Source billboard.com.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have dubbed their ninth studio album Stadium Arcadium, according to Flea, and they plan to release it in April.

“It’s very honest music, and I feel like we improved as craftsmen,” said the bassist Friday at the Spike TV Video Game Awards in Los Angeles, where he and lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis were presenters. “We gave all we had to this album.”

The follow-up to 2002’s By the Way has been a long time in the making, as the Chili Peppers — Kiedis, Flea, guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith — wrote and rehearsed for seven months before entering the studio with producer Rick Rubin.

The band is now in the mixing stage, but Flea said there’s quite a lot to mix. “We recorded a huge quantity of music,” he said. “We’re so in the middle of it, so it’s hard to step back and look at it, but we think it’s the best stuff we’ve ever done.”

Source rollingstone.com.

Benny

Angus Young, lead singer-guitarist of AC/DC, tops Maxim’s list of the “25 greatest short dudes of all time,” standing tall at 5 feet 2 inches.

NBA guard Spud Webb, at 5 feet 7 inches, is No. 2, followed by Napoleon Bonaparte (5 feet 4 inches), Naim Suleymangolu (4 feet 11 inches) and Yuri Gagarin (5 feet 2 inches).

The magazine, in its December issue, claims to be helping women “begin a long overdue fight against their genetically determined shallowness when choosing a partner.”

Yoda, at No. 6, is the shortest on the list. His height is calculated at 2 feet 2 inches.

Other great short dudes: Martin Scorsese, Jon Stewart, Prince, Kurt Cobain and two of the Hobbits from “The Lord of the Rings” films Elijah Wood and Sean Astin.

The tallest “short dude”? Pro football player Doug Flutie, at 5 feet 10 inches, who is ranked at No. 24.

Source yahoo.com.

Touring behind their new Barsuk Records release, The Weight Is a Gift, Nada Surf will bring their signature vocal harmonies and stunningly catchy melodies to venues across the US and Canada. Additionally they will be the featured musical guests on the December 13th episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and the December 21st episode of Last Call with Carson Daly.

Nada Surf also has the honor of being the only band on an independent label scheduled to perform at the 2005 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas event. Nada Surf will be joining Depeche Mode, Coldplay, The White Stripes, Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, The Bravery and Hot Hot Heat at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles on December 11th. Tickets for this event go on sale Friday November 18th at 6pm. Night Two proceeds will benefit Para Los Ninos and other local Los Angeles charities. Complete details can be found at KROQ.com

Nada Surf Winter / Spring 2006 tour dates:

2/8 Baltimore, MD – 8X10
2/9 Charlottesville, VA – Starr Hill Music Hall
2/10 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
2/11 Atlanta, GA – The Loft
2/12 Nashville, TN – Exit In
2/14 Columbia, MO – Blue Note
2/15 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theatre
2/17 Dallas, TX – Tree’s
2/18 Austin, TX – Emo’s
2/20 Tempe, AZ – Clubhouse
2/21 San Diego, CA – House of Blues
2/22 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theater
2/23 San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
2/24 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre
2/25 Vancouver, BC – Richards on Richards
2/26 Seattle, WA – Showbox
3/1 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre
3/2 Omaha, NE – Sokol Underground
3/3 Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe
3/4 Madison, WI – Annex
3/5 Chicago, IL – Metro
3/6 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
3/8 New York, NY – Webster Hall
3/9 Boston, MA – Paradise
3/10 Montreal, QC – Cabaret Music Hall
3/11 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace

Veteran Scottish rock act Belle & Sebastian will release its new album, “The Life Pursuit,” Feb. 6 via Rough Trade in the United Kingdom and Europe. The set will arrive the next day in the United States via Matador. B&S recorded its first five studio albums for the New York-based label before inking with Rough Trade for the release of 2003’s “Dear Catastrophe Waitress.”

“The Life Pursuit” was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Tony Hoffer (Air, Beck). First single “Funny Little Frog” will be commercially released Jan. 16 internationally.

The group will tour the United Kingdom early next year, beginning with a Jan. 15-17 stand in Glasgow. North American dates are being eyed for March.

As previously reported, former member Isobel Campbell will release a collaborative album with Mark Lanegan, “Ballad of the Broken Seas,” next year via V2. The project will be preceded Dec. 13 with the EP “Ramblin’ Man.”

Here is the track list for “The Life Pursuit”:

“Act of the Apostle Part 1”
“Another Sunny Day”
“White Collar Boy”
“The Blues Are Still Blue”
“Dress Up in You”
“Sukie in the Graveyard”
“We Are the Sleepyheads”
“Song for Sunshine”
“Funny Little Frog”
“To Be Myself Completely”
“Act of the Apostle Part 2”
“For the Price of a Cup of a Tea”
“Mornington Crescent”

Source billboard.com.

Yo La Tengo is once again doing Hanukkah just right, here’s the scoop in their own words:

“We’re writing to let you know that once again we’ll be performing all 8 nights of Hanukkah at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. This year, just to make it extra crazy, Hanukkah begins on December 25 and continues through January 1. If you’ve never attended one of our Hanukkah shows before, you’ll surely want to blow off your families and rectify that situation. Each night there will be a band and a comedian and a set by us, and maybe more.

“Tickets will go on sale Wednesday November 9. Tickets can be purchased by going to Tunes in Hoboken (225 Washington St.) or Other Music in New York (15. E. 4th St.). Or you can purchase tickets on line here.

Tickets will be $20 per night, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, which will be $30. All shows will be all-ages, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, which will be 21+. As usual, we’ll be donating the proceeds to charity, and no, we don’t know which ones yet.