June 2004

New Orleans-based progressive funk band Galactic will make its national television debut on Last Call With Carson Daly as the show’s featured house band for one week. The episodes will air the nights of June 15th, 16th, 18th and 22nd on NBC. These episodes also mark a historic first for the show itself as never before has a house band been featured for a block of consecutive shows.

Following the Last Call with Carson Daly tapings Galactic will kick off their summer touring schedule with a stop at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in mid-June and a series of festival stops across the country. The summer will culminate with four dates opening for Dave Matthews Band in mid-July. All this comes on the heels of a one of the most successful winter runs the band has ever had, selling more tickets in the Midwest than ever before.

The Orb will release their album Bicycles & Tricycles on Sanctuary Records in

For the third consecutive year, the Bonnaroo Music Festival has sold out in advance. This year, festival organizers increased the ticket allotment to 90,000, selling all tickets through the festival’s Web site. Bonnaroo 2002 and 2003 sold 70,000 and 80,000 tickets online respectively, and the festival’s 2004 installment has enjoyed the same enthusiastic response from fans. Set to take place June 11 – 13, the three-day camping and music festival will once again be held on the same 600-plus-acre farm in Manchester, TN, 60 miles southeast of Nashville.

Recent additions to the festival’s lineup include rock’n’roll veteran Steve Winwood, and punk rock poet laureate Patti Smith. Bonnaroo alums Robert Randolph and Ween have also joined up, along with Danger Mouse (of The Grey Album fame), three-man DJ ensemble the X-ecutioners, experimental all-star band Praxis, and progressive bluegrass trio Jazz Mandolin Project, featuring Phish’s Jon Fishman.

Bonnaroo also continues to break ground with non-music attractions such as this year’s Yet Another (Comedy) Tent. Dedicated entirely to live standup and skit comedy, this performance tent will feature national headlining comedians appearing multiple times per day in a showcase format. Performers include Todd Barry, Louis CK, Jim Norton, and Rich Vos. These laugh specialists are regulars on network and cable television shows and specials, including Premium Blend, Comedy Central Presents, the Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In addition, New York City’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade comedy troupe will present a special Bonnaroo-themed improvisational show.

This year, Bonnaroo organizers are giving fans the opportunity to extend the enjoyment of live music beyond the festival weekend with LiveBonnaroo.com, the festival’s new online outlet offering digital, downloadable recordings of live performances from the festival soon after they take place. In addition to full sets from the festival in MP3 and FLAC formats, LiveBonnaroo.com will provide downloadable album artwork, CD labels, liner notes, and live photos. With the vast selection of high-quality artists performing at Bonnaroo LiveBonnaroo.com presents an unprecedented opportunity for fans to capture the magic of live music.

See bonnaroo.com for more info.

This coming week happens to be a happening week for good music on the tube, courtesy of late night talk shows.

Beginning on Monday June 7, PJ Harvey will be on The Late Show with David Letterman, Los Lobos will be featured on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and Zero 7 will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

On Tuesday June 8, R.E.M. will be playing The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Simple Kid will be on Late Night With Conan O

Amid widespread (and roundly denied) rumors of an impending breakup, Atlanta hip-hop superstars Outkast are declaring that the next year will be their busiest yet. As everyone who isn’t currently dead or comatose knows, the two last worked on semi-separate “solo” albums, which were packaged together and released in 2003 as Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Since then, Big Boi, the less flamboyant of the duo has played several solo dates, including Atlanta’s massive annual Music Midtown Festival. However, he maintains that big things are coming up for Outkast as a functioning band.

First up is a new album due out in November. According to an MTV interview with Big Boi, the album is “gonna be a hardcore album, me and Dre letting Organized Noize produce the whole album. I can’t give you the title of it yet, but it’s coming together nicely.” Then, in May of next year, the duo will star together in a new movie, which will also feature a soundtrack by Outkast. This film is not the already announced starring vehicle for Andre 3000 based on the song “Love Hater” from The Love Below, but rather a prohibition-era story featuring Dre as the son of a mortician and Big Boi as a club owner.

Regarding the soundtrack, Big Boi told MTV, “It’s gonna be all brand new songs, me and Dre on one CD together.” And if you’re wondering what the film will be about (and I think we both know that you are), “It’s going to be a lot of action, adventure, romance,” “reveals” Boi.

Source pitchforkmedia.com.

Roots rockers Max Creek will be holding their annual Camp Creek festival July 23rd, 24th, and 25th at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, NY. As usual the festival will be highlighted by sets from Max Creek along with the welcoming festival fare of camping and vending. Among the other bands on schedule for the weekend include: Railroad Earth, Sun Ra Arkestra, Gordon Stone, Pevar/Lavitz Project, Ulu, Raisinhill, Addison Groove Project, Pete Scheips and Brothers Past. Also featured on the bill include a set by Max Creek

The members of Creed have confirmed that they will split after almost a decade together. The announcement comes three months after Creed songwriter/singer Scott Stapp told Billboard that his bandmates would take a break.

In a statement issued today (June 4) and posted on the band’s official Web site, Stapp says, “Creed was one of the most amazing journeys through music and friendship I am blessed to say I was a part of.”

Source billboard.com.

Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson has wrapped his solo debut, “Paper,” . Due Aug. 24 via Key Hole Records, the 14-track album features guest spots from former Crowes keyboardist Eddie Harsch and BR5-49 fiddle/lap steel player Donnie Herron, according to Robinson’s official Web site.

For the first time in his career, Robinson handled all of the vocal duties. “I named the album ‘Paper’ because this is all a blank sheet of paper to me; it’s fragile and new,” he says. “For 15 years I wrote for [Crowes frontman] Chris [Robinson’s]’ voice, but this is for me.”

Tracks set for inclusion are the psychedelic rocker “Places,” the dulcimer-tinged “When You Will,” the mid-tempo ballad “Forgiven Song” and such Crowes-inspired numbers as “Yesterday I Saw You” and “Enemy.” Robinson will also create the album’s cover art from one of his own oil paintings.

Robinson will unveil material from “Paper” during a three-week, three-city residency. He will play New York’s Knitting Factory Tap Bar on Tuesdays beginning June 29, Philadelphia’s Tin Angel on Wednesdays beginning June 30 and Cambridge, Mass.’ Brother Jimmy’s Barbecue on Thursdays beginning July 1.

Source billboard.com.

Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus has begun work on a new album which may wind up either as a solo project or a collaboration with his band, the Jicks. “I’ve been down in the basement working on a different kind of record,” he wrote on his official Web site. “The band has been contributing a bit but it has more of a solo vibe than anything I’ve done in a long time.”

Malkmus adds that “we’re probably gonna do some group recording” sometime this month. The finished product “looks like a January release though may come earlier,” presumably via the artist’s long-time label Matador.

In related news, Pavement’s legacy is chronicled in Rob Jovanovic’s new book, “Perfect Sound Forever,” released last month by Justin, Charles & Co.

Source billboard.com.