2004

With Death Cab For Cutie having just inked a major-label deal with Atlantic, it may be some time before singer Ben Gibbard’s side project, the Postal Service, unveils a new album. To help tide fans over, Sub Pop will on Feb. 8 release a four-song single for the track “We Will Become Silhouettes,” bolstered by the new song “Be Still My Heart” and two remixes.

Styrofoam, the moniker for Belgian electronic artist Arne van Petegem, remixes “Nothing Better,” while Michigan-based act Matthew Dear reworks “Silhouettes.”

The Postal Service recently issued a vinyl edition of its Sub Pop debut “Give Up,” which featured bonus disc of B-sides and remixes, as well as Postal Service covers by the Shins and Iron & Wine. A Sub Pop spokesperson says the label has no plans at present to issuing the vinyl EP on CD.

With sales of more than 401,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, “Give Up” has improbably become Sub Pop’s second-best selling release ever, behind only Nirvana’s “Bleach.” The album has spent 91 weeks on Billboard’ Top Independent Albums chart, where it is currently No. 16.

In addition to traditional retail outlets, “Give Up” can now be purchased via the Web site of the United States Postal Service (USPS). A licensing deal between the parties was struck after the government agency sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sub Pop. The band was allowed to keep its name if it agreed to promote the USPS, and last week performed at the Postmaster General’s national executive conference in Washington, D.C.

Source billboard.com.

The National Football League (NFL) has drafted Paul McCartney as the headline performer for the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime show. The Feb. 6 performance will take place at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., and will be broadcast live on Fox.

“There’s nothing bigger then being asked to perform at the Super Bowl,” McCartney says. “We’re looking forward to rocking the millions at home and in the stadium.”

The Super Bowl qualifies as one of the world’s biggest stages, annually drawing the biggest U.S. viewership of any television broadcast. Last year’s game was seen by 144.4 million stateside viewers, according to the NFL, as well as in an additional 200 countries.

A large portion of that audience witnessed a little something extra during the last halftime show in Houston. The MTV-produced Feb. 1, 2004, performance ended with guest performer Justin Timberlake ripping away a piece of headliner Janet Jackson’s costume, revealing her breast.

Famously described as a “wardrobe malfunction,” the incident resulted in public outcry and an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). CBS, which broadcast the event, is protesting an FCC fine of $550,000.

The NFL is undoubtedly banking on McCartney’s performance in this year’s halftime show, which will be sponsored by Ameriquest Mortgage, to be less risqu

U2 will be performing live, Monday November 22 in DUMBO north of the the Brooklyn Bridge. The performance is being filmed by MTV for a feature on the release of “How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb”, and tickets are free through 1iota: www.1iota.com , click on MTV surprise performance (it doesn

The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise is recognized as one of the top blues festivals on the planet. It is also the world’s only chartered blues cruise.

In its fourth year, this year’s cruise hits the high seas on January 22, 2005 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida destined for the Eastern Caribbean. The five star Holland America Zuiderdam boat will sail for seven days all the while hosting intimate and electrifying performances by the world’s best rhythm and blues talent: over 60 live
performances by sixteen acts! Cruisers have the option to temporarily get their feet back on the ground by indulging in the attractions and beaches in Grand Turk, Tortola and St. Maarten.

Cruisers will bask to the perpetual rhythms of Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Susan Tedeschi, Shemekia Copeland, Phantom Blues Band, The Derek Trucks Band, Anson Funderburgh with Sam Myers, Tommy Castro, Bernard Allison, Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Kenny Neal Band, Chubby Carrier, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Corey Harris and Zac Harmon.

Plus, nine special guests are confirmed to be on board, including Tito Jackson, guitarist of the Jackson 5. Tito, who learned blues guitar from his father and uncle in Gary, Indiana before the J-5 pop explosion, has returned to his blues roots and will celebrate the release of a blues-inspired album in February 2005. Tito Jackson will sit in on a Blues Guitar Hero workshop and sit in with other musicians who have similar influences.

Cruisers will witness many such rare combinations of talent sharing the same stage, and rub elbows with the stars by participating in artist workshops and autograph sessions. Regular Blues Cruise headliner Taj Mahal exclaims, “It’s a Blues Festival where everyone has a Backstage Pass!”

The testimonials are abundant: “Life-changing.” “Magical.” “The time of my life.”

An ever-growing family of dedicated fans are counting the days, hours, and minutes until the LRBC sets sail each year. The cruise’s menu of daily themes, contests, no-holds barred fun and sense of community are what really keep this ship afloat.

For more information visit bluescruise.com or call 1-888-BLUESIN (258-3746).

Thievery Corporation will release their fourth album, The Cosmic Game, on February 22nd. Known for their sleek, world-music-influenced, down-tempo grooves, the electronic duo Rob Garza and Eric Hilton composed the follow-up to 2002’s The Richest Man in Babylon over the past year in their home studio in Washington, D.C.

Thievery’s main objective on The Cosmic Game was to explore their “rock and psychedelic influences,” and they got help from ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne (on “The Heart’s Lonely Hunter”), ex-Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell (“Revolution Solution”) and current Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne (“Marching the Hate Machines [Into the Sun]”).

“Growing up, I was always into Jane’s Addiction,” Garza says. “Our tour manager was at a conference, and Perry Farrell kept mentioning Thievery Corporation during his speech, so we thought we’d give him a call. He is a really nice guy — super friendly and open to a lot of suggestions.”

“Marching the Hate Machines,” the album’s opener, was a long time in the making, as Thievery and Coyne first planned to do a track while at an Icelandic festival. “We were backstage all day sharing the same dressing room,” Coyne says. “I don’t know if they were on drugs or not, but they got in the [Lips’ trademark] animal costumes and we really bonded over that, because it is kind of like working out together: You’re up there sweating, and they’re in the suits and they’re all sweaty, and it’s loud and people are all having fun.” Due to the geographical expanses between the two camps — the Lips’ home base is Oklahoma — the collaboration happened over email.

Currently on a DJ tour of Europe, Garza says Thievery will use the holidays to plot a spring tour.

Source rollingstone.com.

In addition to launching two albums on Jan. 25, Saddle Creek act Bright Eyes will stage two distinct U.S. tours in support of the releases. Each outing will promote one specific album, with the second leg featuring Saddle Creek labelmates the Faint. Dates are still being confirmed for the tours.

The first outing will launch early next year, and support the album “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning,” according to a label spokesperson. The “Wide Awake” tour will more closely resemble Bright Eyes outings of the past, with a core band in an intimate setting.

Come spring, Saddle Creek is planning a second trek to promote “Digital Ash in a Digital Urn.” For the tour, which is expected to launch in May, Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst will enlist lablemates the Faint as his backing band. “Digital Ash” is the more atypical Bright Eyes album, apparently containing some electronic experimentation.

As previously reported, the 10-track “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” is described by the label as a “country-tinged melange” that sports guest appearances by Emmylou Harris on three tracks and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on one other. “Digital Ash” boasts five tracks with Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner.

Additional guest appearances spread across the two sets include the Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello, producer Mike Mogis and members of current and former Saddle Creek bands Rilo Kiley, Cursive, Now It’s Overhead and the Faint, among others.

Source billboard.com.