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Former Guided By Voices frontman Robert Pollard has revealed details of several upcoming projects, including a highly anticipated second volume of the “Suitcase” archival series and an accompanying vinyl “Briefcase” release with extra tracks.

First up on Sept. 27 will be the EP “Music for ‘Bubble'” via Pollard’s Fading Captain label. According to the artist’s official Web site, Pollard was approached by director Steven Soderbergh to record music for his upcoming film “Bubble,” which arrives this fall in U.S. theaters. The EP sports four full-band tracks and two instrumentals.

Due Oct. 31, the material on the four-disc, 100-track “Guided By Voices: Suitcase II — American Superdream Wow” ranges from the late ’70s through this spring, and, as on the first volume, credits each song to a different band depending on the musicians involved.

The full track listing has not been announced, but the set includes “I Am Decided,” which was later recorded by the Amps, as well as tracks from Ben Zing, Modular Dance Units (M.D.U.) and the Fake Organisms. The first 900 copies of the box set will be autographed by Pollard.

The vinyl-only “Briefcase 2 — The Return of Milko Waif” includes 16 tracks from “Suitcase 2” such as “I Am Decided,” “Mannequin’s Complaint,” “Perch Warble,” “You’re Not the Queen Anymore” and “Lonely Town.” The collection also boasts two tracks not found on the box set: “Lion W/Thorn in Paw” and “Superwhore,” the latter recorded with Steve Albini.

In related news, Pollard will be on hand for book signings the week of Nov. 14 in New York and Chicago to coincide with James Greer’s upcoming biography of the band, “Guided By Voices: A Brief History — Twenty-one Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll.” The book will be released in late October or early November via Grove/Atlantic and includes an introduction by Soderbergh.

Source billboard.com.

Herbie Hancock collaborates with some of the biggest stars and music and helps them revamp a number of classic tunes on his new album, “Possibilities.” As previously reported, the 10-track set is due Aug. 30 via a consortium of Starbucks’ Hear Music, Vector and Hancock’s own Hancock Music imprint.

Enlivened by unlikely collaborations, “Possibilities” is highlighted by a piano/guitar/percussion-backed recording of Paul Simon’s “I Do It for Your Love,” featuring Simon. While the original (from 1975’s “Still Crazy After All These Years”) was a vaguely whimsical tale of a rainy day wedding, the new rendition strengthens the undercurrent of enduring romance with a heartfelt vocal performance by Simon and a spare but sparkling arrangement.

Elsewhere, Raul Midon covers his idol Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called To Say I Love You” on a version that blends drumless, synth-heavy sections with moments of swinging piano jazz. Sting lends a hand on a new recording of his “Sister Moon” which is nearly double the length of the original on 1987’s “Nothing Like the Sun.”

Other collaborators sprinkled throughout include Carlos Santana, former Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, John Mayer, Annie Lennox and, Christina Aguilera, the latter on a surprisingly effective cover of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You.”

Hancock is about to begin a five-night tour of Japan with Santana that kicks off July 27 in Yokohama.

Here is the track list for “Possibilities”:

“Stitched Up” featuring John Mayer
“Safiatou” featuring Carlos Santana and Angelique Kidjo
“A Song for You” featuring Christina Aguilera
“I Do It for Your Love” featuring Paul Simon
“Hush, Hush, Hush” featuring Annie Lennox
“Sister Moon” featuring Sting
“When Loves Comes to Town” featuring Joss Stone and Jonny Lang
“Don’t Explain” featuring Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan
“Gelo No Montana” featuring Trey Anastasio
“I Just Called To Say I Loved You” featuring Raul Midon

Source billboard.com.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club went through an uncertain past year, losing – and regaining – drummer Nick Jago, and recording a new album, appropriately titled Howl.

Without a recording contract at the outset (BRMC is now signed to RCA Records), the band dug into its own wallets to finance recording. Relentless touring during recording breaks reportedly took its toll on Jago, who quit the band and then returned.

With the album completed and the indie rock trio regrouped, BRMC is preparing to kick start another North American tour after warming up with festivals in Japan and England.

Howl, a title borrowed from beat poet Allen Ginsberg’s classic, marks BRMC’s third full-length effort, so it’s only fitting the tour in support kicks off in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall on September 12.
The 19-city tour also stops in Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles, where the outing wraps October 8 at the Henry Fonda Theatre.

Source pollstar.com.

Neil Young

It has been almost a year since Phish disbanded after a weekend’s worth of shows in Coventry, Vt., but several releases are in the works to satiate the band’s rabid fan base. Among them is the DVD origianlly shown at setbreak of the group’s 20th anniversary on Dec. 2, 2003, at Boston’s FleetCenter.

“It’s either funny or memorable moments taken from 2,500 videotapes we’ve collected,” bassist Mike Gordon reveals to Billboard.com of the film, which originally ran about 30 minutes. “The band was going back and forth about whether we wanted to release it. But I’m excited, because we’ve added about 10 minutes of footage. We’ll probably have to subtract because of clearances for appearances and cover songs. Some of them will be impossible to get the rights to for any amount of money.”

“There’s a great moment where we are playing [Prince’s] ‘1999’ and we’re being lowered down onto the stage by contortionists dressed up in costume and on stilts,” Gordon continues. “[Guitarist] Trey [Anastasio] and I, our bodies are perfectly straight. I don’t know how we did it. We eventually were flat on the stage. The groove is a very legitimate version, for us anyway, of a Prince song. It’s such a nice moment. But the licensing coordinating company has said there isn’t any chance in hell we’ll get permission to use it.”

The DVD, provisionally named “The 20th Anniversary Video,” may arrive in time for Christmas but could be pushed to early next year. And while the film focuses on on-stage moments, there are a handful of behind-the-scenes clips.

Full article: Billboard

Following the July 31 conclusion of her current touring leg in Floyd, Va., singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco will begin a year-long hiatus from the road. The artist is suffering from tendonitis in her wrists and hands, a condition that has worsened despite a three-month break from touring earlier this year.

A West Coast tour due to begin Aug. 30 in Boise, Idaho, has been canceled to accommodate the artist’s recovery. “If she were to continue to perform at this time, she would risk permanent nerve damage to her hands,” reads a statement from DiFranco’s spokesperson.

While away from the live stage, DiFranco is planning “several new recording projects” with unspecified special guests, as well as a new solo album due sometime in 2006 via her own Righteous Babe label. She will also speak as part of the New Yorker Festival on Sept. 24 in the Big Apple.

Source billboard.com.

After months of speculation, the producers of the Bonnaroo festival have confirmed they will stage a mega-event in Las Vegas around Halloween. Produced by A.C. Entertainment and Superfly Presents, Vegoose is set for Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium Oct. 29-30. Other late-night music events are planned for the area in as many as five different venues from Oct. 28 until Halloween night.

Among those believed to be performing at the stadium shows are Dave Matthews, the Black Crowes and Jack Johnson. Superfly president Jonathan Mayers would not confirm any artists, but did tell Billboard.com, “We’re very excited about the lineup we’re putting together. The programming will be somewhat similar to Bonnaroo in that it will be an eclectic mix of artists.”

Source: Billboard

Stylus Shows Inc. original, 1st annual Shakedown Campout and Music Festival originally slated for August 26-27, 2005 at Horning

DJ Z-Trip is gearing up for a six-week North American tour, which will begin with an Aug. 3-7 stand in Los Angeles for ESPN’s Summer X-Games and run through Sept. 18 in Tallahassee, Fla. The artist will also be on hand Saturday (July 23) to perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park.

The roadwork comes in support of Z-Trip’s Hard Left/Hollywood debut, “Shifting Gears,” which debuted in May at No. 56 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It spawned the single “Walking Dead” featuring Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, which peaked at No. 17 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart.

“The goal is to make the live set be a little bit of the album and a little bit of a ‘show,'” Z-Trip tells Billboard.com, promising to include some of his now-patented mash-ups during the concerts. “We’ll see what happens. I’m hoping some of the MCs [that appear on ‘Shifting Gears’] can come out and do the songs live.”

The shows will feature an opening set from reunited hip-hop act Black Sheep.

Here are Z-Trip’s tour dates:

July 23: Chicago (Lollapalooza)
Aug. 3-7: Los Angeles (ESPN Summer X-Games)
Aug. 18: Tucson, Ariz. (Club Congress)
Aug. 19: Los Angeles (House of Blues)
Aug. 20: San Francisco (Grand Ballroom)
Aug. 21: Sacramento, Calif. (Harlow’s)
Aug. 23: Vancouver (Richard’s on Richards)
Aug. 24: Seattle (Neumo’s)
Aug. 25: Portland, Ore. (Wonder Ballroom)
Aug. 28: Boulder, Colo. (Fox Theatre)
Aug. 30: Minneapolis (Quest)
Sept. 1: Covington, Ky. (Madison Theatre)
Sept. 2: Cleveland (House of Blues)
Sept. 8: Boston (Axis)
Sept. 9: New York (Irving Plaza)
Sept. 10: Philadelphia (Trocadero)
Sept. 11: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Sept. 14: Atlanta (Loft at Earthlink Live)
Sept. 15: Orlando, Fla. (House of Blues)
Sept. 16: St. Petersburg, Fla. (State Theatre)
Sept. 17: Miami Beach, Fla. (Soho Lounge)
Sept. 18: Tallahassee, Fla. (Club Down Under)

Source billboard.com.