News

Stephen Colbert slayed the competition in a "Shred Off" with the Decemberists tonight — or at least he claimed to have. Wednesday night’s "Colbert Report" on Comedy Central was dedicated entirely to a guitar-solo contest between the mock-news pundit and the indie-rock band, who were represented by lead guitarist Chris Funk. The special grew out […]

On Thursday, December 21, 2006, at 11:15 am PST / 2:15 pm EST, Music Director Nic Harcourt host of the influential music program, Morning Becomes Eclectic on trendsetting public radio station 89.9FM KCRW/Santa Monica and KCRW.com presents a broadcast and webcast exclusive: the first live US performance in nearly three decades by singer/songwriter Yusuf, formerly […]

Chicago indie rock institution the Sea & Cake is eyeing a May release for its seventh Thrill Jockey studio album. Basic tracks were completed in a five-day session last month, and frontman Sam Prekop will spend the next week recording his vocals for the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2003’s "One Bedroom." To read more visit Billboard

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Silversun Pickups, El-P, Deerhoof and Tokyo Police Club will perform at the 2007 PLUG Awards, which will be held Feb. 10 at New York’s Irving Plaza. Each artist will play a 20-40 minute set at the event, which will be hosted by comedian David Cross. Malkmus will also receive PLUG’s […]

Having spent the past two years on tour with the original lineup of Dinosaur Jr., Lou Barlow is now setting his sights on Sebadoh, which became his main musical outlet after exiting Dinosaur Jr. in the early 1990s.The influential indie rock group has announced an extensive spring tour of North America, beginning Feb. 26 in […]

Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes will release its next album, "Cassadaga," April 10 via Saddle Creek. As previously reported, the project features guest contributors like M. Ward, Gillian Welch and Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Quasi). "Cassadaga" will be previewed with the March 6 release of the six-track EP "Four Winds," the title cut of which is the […]

The Roots have unveiled world tour plans including their first-ever trip to South Africa. The group, which is up for two Grammys, will head to South Africa after finishing an ongoing U.K. leg. Instead of playing traditional venues, the band will perform on flatbed trucks in neighborhoods in Johannesburg, Capetown and Durban. They’ll head for Japan in […]

The Brooklyn-by-way-of-California rock collective known by the unmistakable three exclamation points !!! or the tri-syllabic ChkChkChk are set to release their third full-length, Myth Takes, March 6th on Warp Records.  !!!’s ability to transcend traditional indie slings and bring down the house everywhere from Red Hot Chili Peppers stadium tours to underground loft parties is […]

Bobby Bare  Jr has been burning up the highways since the release of his critically acclaimed new album, The Longest Meow on September 26, spending fall on tour with Drive By Truckers, followed by a series of dates with Centro-Matic. Early 2007 finds him out again, headlining a string of dates offset by two nights […]

Fifty years after the launch of legendary soul label Stax, Concord Music Group is reactivating the imprint after a 30-year-hiatus with new signings, re-issues, and special events. After forming in 1959, Memphis-based Stax released hits by Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, the Staple Singers, the label’s famed house band Booker T. & the […]

Guitarist Trey Anastasio was accused of driving under the influence of drugs in an upstate New York town near the Vermont border early Friday, according to reports. The former Phish frontman was pulled over by an officer who saw his car failing to keep to right side of the road at about 3:30 a.m., Whitehall […]

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the New York indie rock act that scanned nearly 120,000 copies of its 2005 self-titled debut without the help of a label, will return Jan. 30 with its second set, the Dave Fridmann-produced "Some Loud Thunder." "Dave was unfamiliar with our new songs, so I sent him some demos," frontman […]

The Arcade Fire has unveiled "Intervention," the first track from its hotly anticipated new album, "Neon Bible," via a pre-recorded telephone message accessible by calling 866-636-6242, extension 7777. "Neon Bible" is due in March or April via Merge.The cut, which has been a part of the Arcade Fire’s live shows in recent months, begins with […]

Jazz-rockers Steely Dan, who have embarked on two North American tours since 2003, look to be lining up a casino tour for early 2007. So far, just two shows are on the schedule: Jan 17 at Table Mountain Rancheria Casino near Fresno, and Jan. 19 at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, CA. According to Steely […]

South By Southwest (SXSW) has announced Pete Townshend as the keynote speaker for the 2007 Music Conference. The Who have recently resumed recording and performing activity with enthusiastically received performances and the  new CD,  ‘Endless Wire.’  In addition, Townshend and artist Rachel Fuller regularly present ‘Attic Jam,’ a collaborative series of performances and webcasts featuring […]

Brooklyn indie four-piece Grizzly Bear will embark on its biggest North American headlining tour yet next February. Fellow New Yorkers The Dirty Projectors and San Francisco’s Papercuts will split up support duties on the trek, which launches February 1 in Philadelphia. Grizzly Bear and the Projectors will play one date with Akron/Family February 8 in Ann […]

Assembly of Dust is set to release their debut studio album, Recollection, on Hybrid Recordings on March 6, 2007.  In keeping with the title, this is an album that recalls a time in pop music when song craft reigned supreme and players valued taste as well as technique, thanks to co-songwriters Reid Genauer and Nate […]

Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment have announced the dates for the sixth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The four-day weekend will take place June 14 – 17 at the usual location, a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles southeast of Nashville. A limited quantity of discounted early-bird tickets will be available before the […]

In the below posting on Ween’s website, Gene and Dean are back at work on a new album, set for release sometime in 2007. we have a lot of demos of new material (and we’re  still writing more) and have pretty much picked  out the keeper songs with our producer Andrew  Weiss. Andrew is currently […]

Son Volt is preparing to release its fifth full-length, "The Search," on March 6 via Transmit Sound/Legacy. The follow-up to 2005’s "Okemah and the Melody of Riot," "The Search" was produced by frontman Jay Farrar, who suggests that the title is indicative of the band’s increasingly diversified sound. "The Search" finds Son Volt toying with […]