News

With their debut album having hit stores on May 16, the Raconteurs have lined up a summer North American tour kicking off July 16 in Denver. The trek in support of the Third Man/V2 set “Broken Boy Soldiers” also includes a previously announced Aug. 4 appearance at Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Beforehand, the Raconteurs will play a one-off June 7 show in Los Angeles and a host of European summer festival dates, beginning June 21 at the Wireless Festival in London. In addition, the group will greet fans Thursday at Tower Records in New York’s East Village.

“Broken Boy Soldiers” is led by the single “Steady, As She Goes,” which rises 5-4 this week on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart.

Here are the Raconteurs’ tour dates:

June 7: Los Angeles (Music Box)
June 21: London (Hyde Park)
June 24: Scheesel, Germany (Hurricane Festival)
July 1: Werchter, Belgium (Rock Werchter Festival)
July 5: Kristiansand, Norway (Quart Festival)
July 16: Denver (Fillmore Auditorium)
July 18: Tempe, Ariz. (Marquee Theatre)
July 19: San Diego (Soma)
July 21: Los Angeles (Wiltern Theatre
July 23: San Francisco (Warfield Theatre)
July 25: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theatre)
July 26: Vancouver (Malkin Bowl)
July 27: Seattle (Moore Theatre)
Aug. 3: Minneapolis (First Avenue)
Aug. 4: Chicago (Lollapalooza)
Aug. 5: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Theatre)
Aug. 6: Cleveland (House of Blues)
Aug. 26: Reading, England (Reading Festival)
Aug. 27: Leeds, England (Leeds Festival)

Source billboard.com.

A typically eclectic crew of artists will perform in the coming months as part of the SummerStage series in New York’s Central Park. Among the acts set for free performances are Rhett Miller with Teddy Thompson and Ollabelle, Feist, Antibalas and Seu Jorge with Jose Gonzalez and DJ Cut Chemist.

Other highlights of the free series include a July 16 triple-bill with Amadou & Mariam, Daby Toure and Birdy Nam Nam, a July 19 visit from the Upright Citizens Brigade with appearances by Todd Barry, David Cross and Amy Pohler, a rare live set from Edie Brickell and New Bohemians (July 28) and a star-studded July 30 hip-hop show with Lady Sovereign, Jean Grae and Pete Rock.

SummerStage will also host several high-profile benefits, beginning June 28 with Bonnie Raitt and Keb’ Mo’. Shows will follow from Ani DiFranco (July 13), Galactic and Umphrey’s McGee (July 20), Fiona Apple and Damien Rice (July 26) and Calexico, the New Pornographers and the Frames (Aug. 3).

Source billboard.com.

Originally due last December, the Pink Floyd live DVD “Pulse” will now hit stores June 27 via Columbia. The project was originally released on home video in 1995 in conjunction with a double-disc CD set of the same name. The film chronicles the band’s 1994 tour in support of the album “The Division Bell,” which turned out to be its last.

The material here was taped during a 14-night run at London’s Earl’s Court and is highlighted by the first complete performance of the 1973 album “Dark Side of the Moon,” which can be found on the second disc. The first disc features a blend of older hits (“Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2,” “Learning To Fly”) and material from “The Division Bell” (“Keep Talking,” “Take It Back”).

Among the bonus features are the back-screen stage projections used during the 1994 and 1987 tours, plus music videos for a host of “Division Bell” tracks, the off-stage documentary “Goodbye To Life As We Know It” and Floyd’s performance of “Wish You Were Here” with Billy Corgan at its 1996 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Meanwhile, Pink Floyd guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour will tape a live DVD of his own during his May 29-30 stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The project is expected to be out before the end of the year.

Source billboard.com.

Riverside has set a June 27 release date for a double-disc collection featuring the brief 1957 studio collaboration between Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. “The Complete 1957 Riverside gs” boasts 20 tracks, including previously unreleased alternate takes of “Abide With Me” and “Crepuscle With Nellie.”

Also featured is the first stereo version of “Blues for Tomorrow,” which has previously only been available in mono. There are two versions of “Ruby, My Dear,” one with a solo from Coltrane and the other featuring tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins.

The album will come with a sheet of promotional collectable stamps as well as liner notes from original session producer Orin Keepnews.

Monk and Coltrane’s six-month stint together is regarded as one of the most important in jazz history, but the recorded evidence of it is sparse at best. Last year, an oft-bootlegged concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall was released by Blue Note after the master tapes were discovered in the Library of Congress.

Here is the track list for “The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings”:

Disc one:
“Monk’s Mood” (false start)
“Monk’s Mood”
“Crepuscle With Nellie” (take 1)
“Crepuscle With Nellie” (take 2)
“Crepuscle With Nellie” (breakdown)
“Blues for Tomorrow” (stereo)
“Crepuscle With Nellie” (edited: re-takes 4 and 5)
“Crepuscle With Nellie” (re-take 6)
“Off Minor” (take 4)
“Off Minor” (take 5)

Disc two:
“Abide With Me” (take 1)
“Abide With Me”
“Epistrophy” (short version)
“Epistrophy”
“Well, You Needn’t” (opening)
“Well, You Needn’t”
“Ruby, My Dear” (with Coleman Hawkins)
“Ruby, My Dear” (with John Coltrane)
“Nutty”
“Trinkle, Tinkle”

Source billboard.com.

According to ET, after almost four years of marriage, Paul McCartney and wife Heather Mills have separated.

The former couple released the following statement Wednesday, “Having tried exceptionally hard to make our relationship work given the daily pressures surrounding us, it is with sadness that we have decided to go our separate ways. Our parting is amicable and both of us still care about each other very much but have found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives, and we have actively tried to protect the privacy of our child.

Separation for any couple is difficult enough, but to have to go through this so publicly, especially with a small daughter is immensely stressful. We hope, for the sake of our baby daughter that we will be given some space and time to get through this difficult period.”
Source: et.tv.yahoo.com

Umphrey’s McGee will perform on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, May 18th. The band will be joined by veteran rocker Huey Lewis, who also appears on Umphrey’s McGee’s new studio album ‘Safety in Numbers.’

‘Safety In Numbers,’ which just hit stores in April, is the third studio album by the musically muscular and relentlessly inventive Umphrey’s McGee. The highly anticipated album brought Umphrey’s Mcgee to #186 in Billboard’s Top 200, and the band debuted #11 on the coveted Heatseakers Chart.

African superstars Amadou & Mariam have a heap of concerts planned across the U.S. and Canada this summer, including numerous headlining gigs and some notable festival appearances.
Two days after appearing at Sweden’s Hultsfred Festival, the duo will land in Tennessee for the June 17 Bonnaroo Music Festival. A string of West Coast dates will follow, including an appearance at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in Boonville, Calif.
Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia have been blending traditional West African music, Euro-American pop, and political lyrics since 1980. The Mali-based couple is touring with 7 piece African band.
Amadou & Mariam will headline theatres in Seattle, Los Angeles and more before sharing the stage with Seu Jorge in Chicago. After stops along the Great Lakes and East Coast, the tour will wrap in New York City July 16.
They recently released a live CD/DVD, Paris Bamako, featuring songs from their 2004 smash Dimanche

Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon and The Benevento/Russo Duo will be playing an eleventh date with Phil Lesh & Friends on Thursday, July 6th at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts (or ‘Great Woods’ for the older set).

A presale for this show and the Toronto show on July 18 will start tomorrow morning, Tuesday,May 16 at 12 NOON EST at treytickets.rlc.net . Tickets for the Tweeter show will go onsale to the public this Saturday, May 20 at 10am EST. Tickets for the Toronto show will go onsale to the public the following Friday, May 26 at 12 NOON EST.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke’s debut solo album, “The Eraser,” will be released in July via XL Recordings. The set was produced and arranged by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. “Inevitably it is more beats and electronics, but it [is] songs,” Yorke says of the project in an email to members of Radiohead’s W.A.S.T.E. fan organization.

see Billboard for more details

Today the Disco Biscuits announce Camp Bisco V, happening August 25 and 26 at Hunter Mountain Ski and Lodge in Hunter, New York (www.huntermtn.com). The festival, to be set up at the base of the world-class Catskill Mountains resort located only 2 hours from New York City, will feature two stages, almost 20 musical acts, onsite and offsite camping, and plenty of non-musical activities.

Of course, musical hosts the Disco Biscuits will offer up two sets each night of their jaw-dropping electronic rock compositions. Joining the Disco Biscuits for Camp Bisco V will be an eclectic line-up of today’s most talented musicians. The complete festival lineup will be announced soon. Stay tuned to campbiscov.com for all announcements.

Much like last year, this year’s Camp Bisco boasts a family friendly environment, with designated Quiet Camping and plenty of daytime activities for both kids and adults, including the annual Camp Bisco Color Wars, and outdoor recreations such as river activities, hiking, golf, and more. This year also includes indoor lodge facilities, outdoor showers and toilets, and a dance hall (featuring music until 4 am), for use by festival goers and onsite campers. As always, Camp Bisco V will host plenty of food and arts & crafts vending within the festival grounds.

Event details are as follows:
Friday, August 25 and Saturday, August 26Hunter Mountain Ski and Lodge, Route 23A – Hunter, NY(gates open at 8 am on the 25th and close at 4 PM on the 27th)

Official Early Bird tickets will be available through BISCOTIX only on May 19 at 10:00am EDT. The National on sale will begin at 10:00am EDT on May 22 at discobiscuits.com , meatcamp.com , and campbiscov.com

TICKET PRICES:
Early Bird Weekend Pass-$90-Until supplies last or June 1Weekend Festival Pass-$100-Until Aug 25Camping Pass Only-$25 (Limited to 2000 campers- At base of ski mountain)Gate Ticket Price-$120Saturday only ticket-$75Offsite camping and (FREE) 24 hour shuttle service to festival grounds available. Visit www.campbiscoV.com for more details

Tickets on sale at discobiscuits.com , meatcamp.com , and campbiscov.com – Produced by Meatcamp Productions Inc.

Philadelphia-based band The Disco Biscuits recently released their double live album The Wind at Four to Fly (SCI Fidelity Records/April 18). Back in fine form after the departure of their longtime drummer, this summer The Disco Biscuits hit the road this summer with new drummer Allen Aucoin. The auditioning process was lengthy but they found that Aucoin jumped straight in, meshing with the Biscuits’ in the groove, solid feeling called BISCO.

2006 marks The Disco Biscuits eleventh year of rocking out in their unique musical smorgasbord style which fuses rock, electronic and classical music. The band met at the University of Pennsylvania in 1995 and started off with frat gigs but made the quick switch to the club scene. Their eclectic live shows gained them a rabid following, making them leaders in the jam and groove scene.

The headlining artists for the main stage of ATHFEST 2006 have been announced as the line-up continues to build for the 10th anniversary of this annual music and arts festival held in the downtown area of historic Athens, Georgia, a town long renown for its thriving music scene.

MODERN SKIRTS, one of the most popular bands on the current music scene, will perform on the main stage on Friday, June 23 at 9:00 PM. Saddlecreek Recording artists NOW IT’S OVERHEAD, which features renown producer Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes), Clay Leverett (The Chasers) and Azure Ray’s Orenda Fink, will perform on the main stage on Saturday, June 24 at 9:00 PM. DRIVIN’N’CRYIN’, a stalwart on the Georgia music scene since 1985, will perform on Sunday, June 25at 7:00 PM.

Over 50 artists have been confirmed to perform over the course of the weekend on the two outdoor stages, and during the evening’s “club crawl” at the best music venues in town, including: The 40 Watt, Georgia Theater, Tasty World, and Lunch Paper. All performances on the outdoors stages are free of charge. Wristbands may be purchased for the evening shows for $15 at www.athfest.com and in Athens at Schoolkids Records, Wuxtry Records, the Athens Welcome Center, Musician’s Warehouse (Downtown), Musicians Warehouse Showcase (between Best Buy & the Mall), Kingpins, and Borders.

Additional performers include (in no particular order): The Whigs, The Fountains (reunion show), Dubconscious, The Dexter Romweber Duo,
Cinemechanica, Love Tractor, The High Caliber, Packway Handle Band, Hope For A Golden Summer, We Vs. The Shark, Ken Will Morton & The Wholly Ghosts, Hero Severum, Casper & The Cookies, eLeM.N.O.P., Gonzalez, Ginger Envelope, Venice Is Sinking and many more yet to be added. For a full list of performers, go to athfest.com

With a new album freshly released, Paul Simon is heading out on his first solo tour in five years.
The singer/songwriter, who recently showed off some of his new tunes at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, will launch the trek July 1 in Milwaukee. Concerts are booked through the month, with stops at arenas, amphitheatres and casinos across the U.S. and Canada.
He’ll finish on the West Coast at the Mid-State Fair July 29 in Paso Robles, Calif.
For Surprise, Simon’s first album since 2000’s You’re The One, the folk-rock veteran enlisted the help of Brian Eno. The disc was released May 9.
“Working with Brian Eno opens the door to a world of sonic possibilities; plus he’s just a great guy to hang with in the studio, or for that matter in life,” Simon said. “I had a really good time.”
The album also features appearances from Steve Gadd, Herbie Hancock and Bill Frisell.
Simon’s last major solo outing was a lengthy North American trek with Brian Wilson in 2001. A two-leg Simon & Garfunkel reunion tour followed in late 2003 and summer 2004.

Source pollstar.com.

Rose Hill Drive will release its first self-titled EP on June 6, 2006 via Megaforce Records/Sci Fidelity. After spending the last couple years building an enormous underground buzz with its thrilling live shows and building a rabid congregation of followers, the Boulder-based power trio will also release its debut full studio album on August 22, 2006.

Rose Hill Drive’s accomplishments in the music world are as stellar and intense as the performances. Rose Hill Drive has done dates with Robert Randolph, Wilco, Queens Of The Stone Age, and also performed at Bonnaroo, Red Rocks, Austin City Limits, and the Warped Tour. Even Eddie Van Halen requested Rose Hill Drive to open for them. In 2006, the band will have the honor of playing the same stage as The Who at the Wireless Festival on June 25 in Leeds, UK and also the Hyde Park Calling Festival on July 2nd in London.

TOUR DATES:
5-20-06 High Dive, Denver CO
5-26-06 Summer Camp Festival, Chillicothe, IL
5-28-06 The Beat Kitchen, Chicago IL
5-29-06 Birdy’s, Indianapolis IN
5-31-06 Milestone’s Music Room, Buffalo NY
6-01-06 Town Ballroom, Buffalo NY
6-02-06 CBGB’s, New York
6-03-06 Warren Haynes’ Mountain Jam Festival (7pm show), Hunter NY
6-09-06 Wakarusa Festival, Lawrence KS
6-10-06 Wakarusa Festival (4pm show), Lawrence KS
6-25-06 Wireless Festival, Leeds UK
7-02-06 Hyde Park Calling Festival, London UK

Rock acts dominate the top two slots on The Billboard 200 again this week, with Tool’s “10,000 Days” taking the crown on more than double the sales of the latest from Pearl Jam.

The Tool Dissectional/Volcano set gave the band a career-best sales week, moving 564,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, to put it at No. 1. “10,000 Days” also takes over the lead from Godsmack’s “IV” (Universal) on the Top Rock Albums chart.

Tool’s last album, “Lateralus,” also opened at No. 1 on the big chart in 2001 with sales of 555,000 units. It has sold more than 2.3 million to date.

billboard.com.

Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon and the Duo have announced a handful of additional shows following their ten-date run with Phil Lesh and Friends. Included in the run are two festival dates — the Allgood Festival in West Virginia on July 14th and the previously announced 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota on July 22nd. In between, the quartet will hit Atlanta, Nashville,Toronto, Cleveland and Chicago.

Tickets for most of these shows will be available through a real time presale beginning Friday, May 12 at NOON EST at treytickets.rlc.net . Public on-sales start Friday, May 19. Full show and ticket information is at the tourdates page at Phish.com.

TREY ANASTASIO & MIKE GORDON with the Benevento/Russo Duo and PHIL LESH & FRIENDS – SUMMER 2006

6/28 Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC*
6/30 Tweeter Center At The Waterfront – Camden, NJ
7/1 PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ*
7/2 SPAC – Saratoga Springs, NY
7/3 New England Dodge Music Center – Hartford, CT*
7/7 Nikon at Jones Beach – Wantagh, NY
7/8 Darien Lakes PAC – Darien Center, NY
7/9 Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY
7/11 Toyota Pavilion – Scranton, PA*
7/12 Champlain Valley Fairgrounds – Essex Junction, VT*
* Trey, Mike, and The Duo will close

TREY ANASTASIO & MIKE GORDON with the Benevento/Russo Duo
7/14 Allgood Festival – Masontown, WV
7/15 Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
7/16 Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
7/18 Hummingbird Centre – Toronto, ON
7/19 Plain Dealer Pavilion – Cleveland, OH
7/20 Northerly Island Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
7/22 10,000 Lakes Festival – Detroit Lakes, MN

Michael Davis suffered a motorcycle accident on Monday, May 8th. He has been hospitalized.

Michael

The Long Winters will be releasing their third full length on July 25th on Barsuk Records, entitled Putting The Days To Bed.

Putting The Days To Bed, the third LP from Seattle

David Bowie will curate the inaugural High Line Festival, to be held in May 2007 in neighborhoods underneath the High Line, a public park being created atop a long-abandoned elevated railway line on the west side of Manhattan.

As part of the programming, Bowie will play a large outdoor concert, his first show in New York since 2003. He will also select musicians and artists to appear throughout the festival. “I’ve been particularly excited about seeking out emerging artists and giving them a place in a festival that will also feature some very well-known names,” Bowie says.

As Bowie recently told New York magazine, he is planning to take 2006 off from touring and recording. “I’m fed up with the industry,” he said. “And I’ve been fed up for quite some time. I’m taking a year off — no touring, no albums. I go for a walk every morning and I watch a ton of movies. One day, I watched three Woody Allen movies in a row.”

Source billboard.com.

Rock recluse Axl Rose made a surprise radio appearance to proclaim that Guns N’ Roses’ 10-years-in-the-making albue to proclaim that Guns N’ Roses’ 10-years-in-the-making album, “Chinese Democracy,” album will finally hit stores this fall.

The comments Saturday on Eddie Trunk’s syndicated radio show marked one of the first interviews Rose has given since his failed 2002 comeback tour, which was abruptly scrapped midway amid riots and canceled shows.

Rose’s impromptu appearance came when former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, who was co-hosting the show, called Rose’s cell phone and patched the call through the studio.

Quizzed on when the near-mythical album would come out, Rose said, “Sometime this fall or late fall.” His band could be heard rehearsing in the background. “It will be out this year.”

Trunk invited Rose to drop by the New York studio, and about an hour later he did. Asked about the aborted 2002 comeback tour, which ended when Rose failed to appear for a gig in Philadelphia, Rose told Trunk he felt pressured into doing it before he was ready. But he insisted he has no regrets, since the short-lived tour helped the new band members to gel.

Source billboard.com.

As posted on his myspace blog, Tom Marshall noted today that he has launched a new lyric and poster site.

“Stina [Marshall] in San Francisco, and I have teamed up to make some art around my lyrics. Check out MarshallLyrics.com for some cool musical (and yes) Phishy art. The current 4 songs we are featuring are: Theme from the Bottom, Grind, Rift and Farmhouse.

After that we have Lawn Boy, Cavern, Squirming Coil and Bouncing ‘Round the Room coming up.”

In addition, Marshall also announced that “at least two songs from [an Anastasio/Marshall] recent writing session”…’Let Me Lie’ and ‘Obstacle of Course’ will appear on an upcoming Trey Anastasio record.