November 17, 2004

Los Angeles-based Particle will headline an unforgettable New Years Eve bash at Irving Plaza with a special appearance by Kaiju Big Battel plus
Buckethead, and Peelander Z. Particle’s unique “funktronic” sounds blend
elements of electronica, funk and rock and have been exciting live music
fans around the country for several years now. The instrumental quartet is
comprised of Eric Gould on bass, Charlie Hitchcock on guitar, Steve Molitz
on keyboards, and Darren Pujalet on drums.

The band’s adventurous spirit has inspired them to throw a one of a kind
Japanimation New Year’s Party. Japanese Comic Action Punks Peelander Z kick off the evening with their high energy music, kung fu kicks, and
otherworldly stage antics. The ubiquitous Buckethead is next on tap for the
New Year’s festivities bringing his lightening quick leads and unparalleled
presence. Not satisfied with one Japanese performance act, Particle has
also invited Kaiju Big Battel to join the madness for a special appearance
just after midnight. Kaiju Big Battel, described as monster mayhem, combine
elements of American pro wrestling, Japanese Monster Movie Mayhem, and pop culture. The group has recently appeared on Dennis Miller, Jimmy Kimmel, and CNN performing matches of epic proportions in front of TV audiences. The evening promises to feature special anime shorts and a champagne toast at midnight along with two sets from Particle.

When House of Blues Cleveland hosts its grand opening party November 28th, one of the many artists performing will be HoB co-founder Dan Aykroyd as his alter ego, Elwood Blues. And he couldn’t be more excited. “I basically got to pick who I wanted (to perform),” Aykroyd told Pollstar. “The Lamont Cranston Band from Minneapolis, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. I personally made a call to Ronnie Hawkins’ people to bring him in. Paul Shaffer’s coming in, [and] Skunk Baxter.”

HoB is currently on track to open three more clubs next year in San Diego, Atlantic City and Detroit. The Cleveland venue officially opens for business November 19th with a two-night stand by The Neville Brothers. A wide range of artists will perform throughout the week including the reunion of Raspberries original members Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson, Jim Bonfanti and Dave Smalley.

Source: pollstar

Rock act Mercury Rev will return next year with a new V2 album, “The Secret Migration.” In an unusual move, the 13-track set will be available Jan. 25 in digital form exclusively via Apple’s iTunes Music Store, but won’t hit traditional retail outlets in North America until late April. In Europe and England, it will be released Jan. 24.

The piano-and-string laden first single “Secret for a Song” is available for paid download via the band’s official Web site, which is also offering ringtones of that track and the new songs “Across Your Ocean” and “Diamonds.”

Produced by longtime collaborator Dave Fridmann, “The Secret Migration” is sure to delight fans of Mercury Rev’s wide screen, psychedelia-tinged rock, offering more of a hopeful outlook than some of the darker material on 2001’s “All Is Dream.” Highlights include the propulsive, shimmering “Vermillion” and the exhilarating “Arise,” dashed with Fridmann’s flair for sonic detail.

Mercury Rev is in the midst of a European tour that includes support slots with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and a handful of headlining dates. As previously reported, the group will also perform at the Shellac-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties in the U.K. on Dec. 4. A seven-date U.K. tour will begin March 5 in Newcastle.

Source billboard.com[url].

Ben Kweller, the Flaming Lips, the Raveonettes, Death Cab for Cutie, Cake and the Dandy Warhols lead the list of bands covering oldies for Stubbs the Zombie: The Soundtrack. Due out March 15th, the compilation provides the audio backdrop for a video game set in 1959 in fictional Punchbowl, Pennsylvania. The game pits wealthy industrialist Andrew Monday against Stubbs the Zombie, after Monday builds his tech-happy “City of the Future” on a burial ground. War between humans and corpses ensues.

The Lips do the Wizard of Oz classic “If I Only Had a Brain”; the Raveonettes cover “My Boyfriend’s Back,” co-written by their producer Richard Gottehrer for Sixties girl group the Angels; and Kweller does “Lollipop,” a Number Two hit for another girl group, the Chordettes, in 1958.

“I thought it would be such a good juxtaposition to be in this happy town in Pennsylvania singing ‘Lollipop’ while you’re a zombie killing people,” Kweller says. “‘Lollipop, lollipop,’ and everything’s good and happy except you’re all going to die.”

Beyond the basic changing of pronouns in the song from he to she, Kweller’s version stayed faithful to the original, with band members competing to sing the song’s more distinctive vocal accents. “We went around the room to see who had the lowest vocal and John [drummer Kent] won, so he did the [bass] ‘doo do do do’ part,” Kweller says. “We went around the room to see who had the best lollipop [popping] sound, and it happened to be the owner of the studio. It’s one of those songs that has such stigma to it that you can’t really remove any of those parts and try to make it your own. It was really fun though . . . I’m really excited to play the game.”

Stubbs the Zombie track listing:

“Lollipop,” Ben Kweller
“My Boyfriend’s Back,” the Raveonettes
“Earth Angel” Death Cab for Cutie
“Everyday,” Rogue Wave
“Strangers in the Night,” Cake
“There Goes My Baby,” the Walkmen
“All I Have To Do Is Dream The Dandy Warhols
“Mr. Sandman,” Oranger
“If I Only Had a Brain,” the Flaming Lips
“Tears on My Pillow,” Clem Snide
“Shakin’ All Over,” Rose Hill Drive
“Lonesome Town,” Milton Mapes
“The Living Dead,” Phantom Planet

Source rollingstone.com.