News

WIth the release of ‘Okonokos,’ My Morning Jacket’s live DVD/CD set to hit stores Oct 31st, The band has announced a full Fall tour beginning in Charleston, SC and moving through most of the US before ending in Boston. Longtime fans will notice that the venue sizes have grown since the band last hit towns, but Jim James and Co should settle in nicely into the historic theatre level.

Pre-sale has already begun for select dates.

NOVEMBER 2006
09 Thu Charleston, SC Music Farm
10 Fri Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theater
12 Sun Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
13 Mon Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
15 Wed New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
16 Thu Dallas, TX Gypsy Theater
17 Fri Dallas, TX Gypsy Theater
18 Sat Austin, TX Stubb’s
20 Mon St. Louis, MO The Pageant
21 Tue Milwaukee, WI The Riverside
22 Wed Louisville, KY Louisville Gardens
24 Fri Chicago, IL Riviera Theater
25 Sat Indianapolis, IN Clowes Hall
27 Mon Washington, DC 9:30 Club
28 Tue Washington, DC 9:30 Club
30 Thu New York, NY Roseland Ballroom

DECEMBER
01 Fri Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
02 Sat Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom

see: mymorningjacket.com for more info

Kindred spirits Eric Clapton and J.J. Cale will release their first original album collaboration, “The Road to Escondido,” Nov. 7 via Reprise. The 14-track set includes 11 Cale originals, one each penned by Clapton and John Mayer and a cover of the blues staple “Sporting Life Blues.”

Clapton has previously scored major hits with his covers of Cale’s “After Midnight” and “Cocaine.” The pair hatched the idea to collaborate after performing together at Clapton’s 2004 Crossroads guitar festival in Dallas.

“This was the realization of what may have been my last ambition — to work with the man who’s music has inspired me for as long as I can remember,” Clapton says.

In addition to writing “Hard to Thrill,” Mayer guests on guitar alongside Taj Mahal, Derek Trucks, Albert Lee and Doyle Bramhall II. The late Billy Preston contributed keyboards throughout the project; the disc is dedicated in his honor.

Here is the track list for “The Road to Escondido”:

“Danger”
“Heads in Georgia”
“Missing Person”
“When This War Is Over”
“Sporting Life Blues”
“Dead End Road”
“It’s Easy”
“Hard To Thrill”
“Anyway the Wind Blows”
“Three Little Girls”
“Don’t Cry Sister”
“Last Will and Testament”
“Who Am I Telling You”
“Ride the River”

Source billboard.com.

Apple Computer Inc. said on Sept. 12 that its iTunes online music store would begin selling movies from Disney, Pixar, and Touchstone as the company makes its most aggressive move yet into the digital home.

Chief Executive Steve Jobs said newly released movies would initially cost $12.99 if pre-ordered or bought during the first week available. Library titles would cost $9.99, Jobs said at an event in San Francisco where the company also introduced new versions of its iPod digital music devices.

He said there are about 75 films now available for purchase on iTunes and that they would take about 30 minutes to download for those using a high-speed Internet connection.

The new iPods include one with the most capacity to date and sport video games such as Pac-Man and Tetris. Jobs said the new 80 gigabyte iPod would cost $349. The company also introduced a new, thinner iPod Nano available in five colors with 24 hours of battery life.

Source billboard.com.

25 years ago, in October of 1981, the Grateful Dead played at the Melkweg in Amsterdam, home of Jam in the ‘Dam, for the first and only time. It’s an event that venue owner Cor Schlosser remembers with fondness to this day. Cor still owns the venue, and is as much an Amsterdam musical fixture as his legendary venue, which has hosted a who’s who of rock n

The Flaming Lips’ latest album, “At War With the Mystics,” has been expanded into a two-disc set due Oct. 24 via Warner Bros. The original album will be augmented with the outtakes “Why Does It End?,” “You’ve Got To Hold On,” “Your Face Can Tell the Future,” “The Gold in the Mountain of Our Madness,” “Time Travel?? Yes!!” and a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Also featured are eight tracks from various live radio sessions, one of which is a blend of Sonic Youth’s “Unmade Bed” and Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter.”

The DVD disc of the new “Mystics” rounds up videos for “Mr. Ambulance Driver,” “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” and “The W.A.N.D.,” plus frontman Wayne Coyne’s videotaped 2006 commencement address for his high school alma mater in Oklahoma City.

Source billboard.com.

As the sail date for Jam Cruise 5 nears, final bookings are being confirmed to this year’s artist lineup. The Disco Biscuits, the Stanton Moore Trio featuring Will Bernard and Robert Walter, and DJ Logic have been added to the bill. Also newly confirmed to be on board: Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), JJ Grey (MOFRO), George Porter Jr. (The Meters), Patterson Hood (Drive By Truckers), Jeff Austin (Yonder Mountain String Band), Oteil Burbridge (The Allman Brothers), and Eric Krasno (Soulive). In the spontaneous spirit of Jam Cruise, cruisers can look forward to plenty of surprise collaborations and rare pairings, including a special set with JJ Grey and Luther Dickinson, and with Jeff Austin and Brendan Bayliss (Umphrey’s McGee).

These musicians join the already stellar lineup of bands: The Derek Trucks Band, Umphrey’s McGee, The Greyboy Allstars, Galactic, Burning Spear, Garage a Benevento, Zero (featuring Steve Kimock, Donna Godchaux, Jerry Joseph, Greg Anton, Liam Hanraham, Martin Fierro, John Morgan Kimock, and Melvin Seals), Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Railroad Earth, Deep Banana Blackout, Perpetual Groove, Tea Leaf Green, Los Amigos Invisibles, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, ALO, Hot Buttered Rum, New Mastersounds, Yonrico Scott Band, Scrapomatic, DJ Logic, DJ Le Spam, DJ Afro, and the lucky Sonicbids contest winners.

It’s not too late to turn in submissions for the Sonicbids contest. In their search to keep Jam Cruise loaded with hot new musical acts, Jam Cruise and Sonicbids have invited up-and-coming artists to submit their music for booking consideration. Six cabin slots have been reserved for contest artists, meaning the winners can be a full band up to 6 members or a band of 4 and a duo, or any other combination of six. Bands can enter now through November 7, 2006 at www.sonicbids.com/jamcruise . Jam Cruise judges will review applicants and narrow the pool down to a small number of finalists. The final voting will be open to the Jam Cruise passengers, on a date to be determined.

See jamcruise.com for more info.

Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and the Dave Matthews Band will perform alongside Neil Young at the 20th anniversary Bridge School Benefit, to be held Oct. 21-22 at Shoreline Amphitheatre outside San Francisco. The event benefits the Bridge School for children with severe speech and physical disabilities, which Young and his wife Pegi founded.

Students from the school can routinely be found taking in the concerts from the stage each year. Also on the upcoming bill are Brian Wilson, the Foo Fighters, Death Cab For Cutie and Devendra Banhart. Tickets go on sale Sunday (Sept. 17).

Source billboard.com.

Les Claypool will return with his on-again/off again Primus adventures this fall will their Beat a Dead Horse tour. The tour kicks off November 1st at the Austin Music Hall and run through December 9th in Mesa, AZ.

11/01/06 Wed Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
11/03/06 Fri Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
11/04/06 Sat Dallas, TX Will Rogers Auditorium
11/06/06 Mon Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
11/08/06 Wed Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
11/09/06 Thu New York, NY Roseland Ballroom
11/10/06 Fri Philadelphia, PA Tower Theater
11/12/06 Sun Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
11/14/06 Tue Detroit, MI State Theatre
11/15/06 Wed Toronto, ON Kool Haus
11/17/06 Fri Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
11/18/06 Sat Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
11/19/06 Sun Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
11/21/06 Tue Denver, CO The Fillmore Auditorium
11/28/06 Tue Eugene, OR Hult Center
11/29/06 Wed Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre
11/30/06 Thu Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
12/02/06 Sat Berkeley, CA Berkeley Community Theatre
12/03/06 Sun Sacramento, CA Memorial Auditorium
12/05/06 Tue San Jose, CA San Jose Civic Auditorium
12/06/06 Wed Los Angeles, CA The Hollywood Palladium
12/08/06 Fri San Diego, CA Rimac Arena
12/09/06 Sat Phoenix, AZ Mesa Amphitheatre

Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band along with Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins have been added to the Vegoose lineup. In other Vegoose news, The Meters will perform with Widespread Panic on Monday, October 30th at the MGM Grand Garden.

For a full list of Vegoose performing artists, please visit the festival’s website.

A Tribe Called Quest has reunited for its first tour in more than five years, headlining the first leg of 2K Sports’ second annual Bounce Tour.

The rap tour, which promotes the company’s 2K series of sports-themed video games, got underway last week in Detroit, with the outing’s next appearance set for Friday (9/8) in Las Vegas. The 15-city first leg will run through an Oct. 1 show in Sayreville, NJ.

Death Cab for Cutie has unveiled details of their upcoming fall tour. Having spent much of the past two years on the road, the band is set to perform their third and final North American tour in support of their Grammy nominated album, “Plans.”

The Seattle-based quartet will launch their six-week tour just outside Philadelphia at the Tower Theater on October 26th. The tour will then traverse the United States and Canada through December 9th, with Death Cab set to play their biggest-ever hometown show at Seattle’s Key Arena. As ever, the tour will see Death Cab supported by some of today’s best and brightest indie artists, with special guests including Ted Leo + Pharmacists, OK Go, and Jenny Lewis. Pre-sale tickets will be available starting Thursday, September 7 through the band’s website www.deathcabforcutie.com

TOUR DATES:
10/26 UPPER DARBY, PA – TOWER THEATRE
10/27 ROCHESTER, NY – AUDITORIUM THEATRE
10/28 OTTAWA, ONT – OTTAWA CIVIC CENTRE THEATRE
10/30 TORONTO, ONT – MASSEY HALL
11/01 MONTREAL, QC – METROPOLIS
11/02 BOSTON, MA – THE OPERA HOUSE
11/04 PROVIDENCE, RI – PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
11/06 WASHINGTON, DC – CONSTITUTION HALL
11/08 NEW YORK, NY – THEATRE AT THE GARDEN
11/10 NORFOLK, VA – NORVA
11/11 BELLE VERNON, PA – ICE GARDEN ARENA
11/13 COLUMBUS, OH – PROMOWEST PAVILION
11/14 INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MURAT THEATRE
11/15 LOUISVILLE, KY – LOUISVILLE PALACE THEATRE
11/16 BIRMINGHAM, AL – ALABAMA THEATRE
11/17 ATLANTA, GA – FOX THEATRE
11/18 CLEMSON, SC – LITTLEJOHN COLISEUM
11/19 ORLANDO, FL – UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
11/20 CORAL GABLES, FL – UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
11/26 MILWAUKEE, WI – EAGLES BALLROOM
11/27 ST. LOUIS, MO – THE PAGEANT
11/28 MEMPHIS, TN – ORPHEUM THEATRE
11/29 NEW ORLEANS, LA – REPUBLIC
11/30 HOUSTON, TX – HOBBY CENTER – SAROFIM HALL
12/02 MESA, AZ – MESA AMPHITHEATRE
12/03 LAS VEGAS, NV – HARD ROCK HOTEL – THE JOINT
12/05 IRVINE, CA – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – IRVINE
12/06 SANTA BARBARA, CA – ARLINGTON THEATRE
12/09 SEATTLE, WA – KEY ARENA

(With TED LEO & PHARMACISTS 10/26-11/20)
(With OK GO 11/26-11/30)
(With JENNY LEWIS 12/02-12/09)

During the band’s 28 years, The Radiators have come tantalizingly close to making the “Great New Orleans Rock Recording.” Now, with the release of their new record, Dreaming Out Loud (Radz Records – October 3, 2006), they’ve done it. Dreaming Out Loud is the definitive studio recording by one of New Orleans’ best Rock bands.

Dreaming Out Loud is an accurate and intriguing self-portrait of these New Orleans natives; heartbroken by the devastation Hurricane Katrina brought to their beloved city, but not hopeless. Determined to record the album in their hometown, The Radiators teamed up with producer Mark Bingham at Piety St. Recording N.O.L.A. during the city’s historical 2006 Mardi Gras celebration, when the New Orleans community gathered together to remind the world that the city and its traditions would in fact survive. There and then the band laid the tracks for Dreaming Out Loud – a New Orleans-flavored “war cry” that only The Radiators could assemble. The album’s title track sets straight those who ever doubted the city’s legacy would continue; Malone sings – “Our music is all we’ve ever had.”

Look for the band on tour this fall in support of their new release. The current list of tour dates is as follows:

September 07 Science Museum of Virginia Richmond VA
September 08 8×10 Baltimore MD
September 09 State Theatre Falls Church VA
October 05-06 Slim’s San Francisco CA
October 13-14 Quixote’s Denver CO
October 15 Fox Theater Boulder CO
October 26 American Legion Hall Fargo ND
January 12 BB King’s New York NY

More dates to be announced.

The Arctic Monkeys have won the 2006 Nationwide Mercury Prize, the “album of the year” award for British and Irish acts. The act’s debut set, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” (Domino), was named the winner at a ceremony held tonight (Sept. 5) at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

The Sheffield, England-based alternative rock quartet has arguably been the hottest British act to emerge this year. Since its release this January, the album has sold more than 1 million copies in the United Kingdom alone, where it is certified triple platinum. In the U.S., it has sold 258,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The event was hosted by Jools Holland and featured live performances from eight of the 12 shortlisted acts, including Thom Yorke, Editors, Hawley, Hot Chip, Zoe Rahman, Sway, Scritti Politti and Guillemots. All the nominees were present at the ceremony.

The shortlisted albums were chosen by 12 judges from an entry of more than 200 albums submitted by labels. To qualify, an album had to be recorded by a British or Irish artist and released between July 25, 2005 and July 17, 2006.

Source: billboard

R.E.M. will perform three songs with original drummer Bill Berry to celebrate its induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, to be held Sept. 16 in Atlanta. Berry has only played three times with his longtime colleagues since exiting the band in 1997, most prominently at the October 2005 wedding of R.E.M. guitar tech Dewitt Burton.

At that performance, the foursome played a seven-song set of classic early material, including “Sitting Still,” “Radio Free Europe” and “Wolves, Lower.” In April, Berry joined vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills to perform R.E.M.’s “Country Feedback” at an Athens, Ga., show by Buck’s side band, the Minus 5.

While the group rehearses for the Hall of Fame ceremony, it is “considering recording something for a yet-to-be-announced charitable project,” according to a post from manager Bertis Downs on R.E.M.’s Web site.

Following the induction, R.E.M. will end a year-long hiatus and hit the studio to begin work on the follow-up to 2004’s critically maligned “Around the Sun.”

Source billboard.com.

For the first time in 30 years, Bob Dylan tops The Billboard 200 with “Modern Times.” Not only is it the legendary songwriter’s first album to reach the throne since “Desire” in 1976, it’s also his highest debuting album and his best sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. The Columbia set moved 192,000 copies in the United States in its first week.

“Modern Times” is Dylan’s third consecutive top 10 studio set, following 1997’s “Time Out of Mind” and 2001’s “Love & Theft.” Aside from “Desire” and “Modern Times,” only two other Dylan albums assumed the plateau on the chart: 1974’s “Planet Waves” and the 1975 classic “Blood on the Tracks.”

Source billboard.com.

Barely a week after longtime keyboard player Ed Harsch left the band for “personal reasons,” today Black Crowes fans were notified via a posting on the band’s official message board that another longtime member, guitarist Marc Ford, would also be leaving.

To the fans:

Yesterday, The Black Crowes were notified by Marc Ford

Indie-rockers Art Brut and We Are Scientists are set to link up for a co-headlining tour of North American clubs that launches Sept. 18 in North Carolina and runs for more than a month.

The UK’s Art Brut continue to tour behind their critically acclaimed debut set, “Bang Bang Rock and Roll,” which was issued overseas last year. A US version of the set, which contains three bonus tracks, was released in June.

Brooklyn-based We Are Scientists issued their debut album for Virgin, “With Love and Squalor,” in January. The set was recorded last spring with producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Foreign Born, Dirty Little Secret) and followed three self-released EPs.

September 2006
18 – Carborro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
19 – Atlanta, GA – The Roxy
20 – Orlando, FL – The Social
21 – Miami, FL – Studio A
22 – Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder
23 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jack’s
24 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
25 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
26 – Dallas, TX – Gypsy Tea Room
28 – Phoenix, AZ – Brickhouse Theatre
29 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
30 – Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theatre

October 2006
2 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
4 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
5 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
6 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
7 – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s Crystal Ball
9 – Salt Lake City, UT – In the Venue
10 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre
11 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada
12 – Chicago, IL – Metro
13 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
14 – Toronto, Ontario – Opera House
15 – Montreal, Quebec – La Tulipe
16 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East
17 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
18 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw
19 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
20 – Philadelphia, PA – Starlight Ballroom
21 – Ithaca, NY – Cornell University

Ziggy Marley, eldest son of late reggae legend Bob Marley, sets out this fall on a headlining tour behind his sophomore solo effort, “Love is My Religion.”
Marley has mapped out an ambitious itinerary that gets underway on the West Coast in mid-October and touches down in more than three-dozen cities throughout the US by the time it wraps up in early December. Tickets for most shows will hit the box office in early September. Details are included below.

October 2006
14 – Cabazon, CA – Key Club at Morongo Casino (on sale 9/9)
15 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore (on sale 9/10)
17 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues (on sale 9/9)
19 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst (on sale 9/5)
20 – Santa Margarita, CA – Pozo Saloon (on sale 9/9)
21 – Medford, OR – Main One Center for the Arts (on sale 9/8)
23 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom (on sale tba)
24 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (on sale 9/9)
25 – Seattle, WA – Showbox (on sale 9/9)
27 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot (on sale 9/8)
28 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Conference Center (on sale tba)
29 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre (on sale 9/9)
30 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater (on sale 9/9)

November 2006
3 – Minneapolis, MN – The Quest (on sale 9/9)
4 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theater (on sale 9/9)
5 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues (on sale 9/9)
8 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club (on sale 9/7)
9 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza (on sale 9/8)
10 – Providence, RI – Lupo

Alexisonfire have announced the dates for their fall tour across the U.S. in support of CRISIS (8/22, Vagrant) their latest disc which debuted in the Top 200 on SoundScan this week and gave the band their first #1 record in Canada (as well as landing at #5 on the U.S. Heatseekers chart and Top 100 in the UK).

The tour starts October 11th in New Jersey and label-mates, Moneen, will be the main support along with openers Cancer Bats and A Change of Pace.

Vocalist-guitarist Dallas Green, drummer Jordan Hastings, guitarist-vocalist Wade MacNeil, vocalist George Pettit and bassist Chris Steele have just released a video for the first single,

Farm Aid today announced artist additions to the lineup at its annual benefit concert. Gov’t Mule, among others, will join Farm Aid president and founder Willie Nelson and board members Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews on September 30th at the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront in Camden, NJ.

“I am honored that we will be associated with this wonderful organization,” said Gov’t Mule leader Warren Haynes.

Performing at Farm Aid is a natural progression for Haynes. His annual Christmas Jam, which he hosts each year in his hometown of Asheville, NC, has provided nearly a half million dollars to Habitat for Humanity’s Asheville chapter.

Gov’t Mule is currently supporting it’s ATO Records release ‘High & Mighty.’ The album debuted this week on Billboard’s Top 200 at #62 for an all-time weekly high in the band’s history with sales of 13,576 – 5,130 of which were bought on the internet, earning Gov’t Mule #1 on the Internet chart.

Gov’t Mule is finishing its tour with the Allman Brothers Band this week and will headline ROCKIN’ THE BURRO September 9th at the McCarren Pool in Brookyn, NY with special guests Wolfmother. Gov’t Mule will appear on Fox’s morning show “Fox & Friends” at 8:45AM EDT September 8th.