With the third installment in the tech trilogy, Matters & Dunaway have finally risen to respected LP status, and deservedly so. A richly delivered work, Hightech is yet another instrumental album, full of textured soundscapes and patient breath.
The Thrills top criticism to date was they sounded too much like their idols: Neil Young, The Beach Boys, Beatles. Lets Bottle Bohemia sounds almost entirely familiar again, so the mix of these influences are now welcomed at the real Thrills, even with all the ooohs and ahhs.
Johnny Ramone, guitarist and co-founder of the seminal punk band the Ramones, has died at the age of 55. Ramone died in his sleep Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 15) at his Los Angeles home surrounded by friends and family, his publicist said. He had battled prostate cancer for five years, and was hospitalized in June at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Ramone, born John Cummings, was one of the original members of the Ramones, whose no-nonsense, three-chord rock’n’roll influenced a generation of future bands. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Lead singer Joey Ramone (real name: Jeff Hyman) died in 2001 of lymphatic cancer. Bassist Dee Dee Ramone, who was born Douglas Colvin, died from a drug overdose in 2002.
Ramone was too ill to attend a tribute concert and cancer research fund-raiser held Sunday in Los Angeles to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary. It featured performances by Los Angeles punk band X, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Henry Rollins and Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder.
A similar event is on tap for Oct. 8 at New York’s Spirit club, featuring the Strokes and Blondie.
Along with his wife, Linda Cummings, Ramone was surrounded at his death by Vedder and Rob and Sherrie Zombie. Other friends who gathered at his Los Angeles home included Lisa Marie Presley, Pete Yorn, Vincent Gallo and Talia Shire.
Ramone was said to have been working on his memoirs with Washington Times reporter Steve Miller.
Source: Billboard.com
To coincide with its release on DVD, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus will screen in fifty theaters nationwide on October 11th. This will be only the second screening of the performance film since its 1996 premiere at the New York Film Festival.
In December of 1968, the Rolling Stones rounded up some of rock’s biggest names (along with aerialists and fire-eaters) for a two-day shoot intended as a BBC TV special and limited theatrical release. Performances included the operetta “A Quick One While He’s Away” by the Who; songs by Yoko Ono, Jethro Tull and Marianne Faithfull; and John Lennon’s first solo material, backed by Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell and Eric Clapton (Cream had split the previous month). The rambling, free-form concert culminated in the Stones’ renditions of six songs, the highlight of which was a particularly intense “Sympathy for the Devil.”
But the hour-long film was shelved because co-producers the Stones were dissatisfied, feeling that the Who, fresh off their Magic Bus tour, had upstaged them. This was one of the Stones’ last performances with founding member Brian Jones, who was found dead in his swimming pool the following summer after exiting the band.
The Rock and Roll Circus DVD, which hits stores October 12th, has been remastered in surround sound and features new commentary from Mick Jagger and Richards and an interview with Who guitarist Pete Townshend.
Source rollingstone.com.
R.E.M. unveiled several songs from its upcoming Warner Bros. album, “Around the Sun” in London last night (Sept. 15) at a secret gig in a London church. Staged and recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 2, the gig was held at St. James’ Church in Piccadilly, and featured a surprise guest appearance by Radiohead vocalist Thom Yorke of Radiohead.
The show opened with “Animal,” from R.E.M.’s 2003 best-of “In Time,” but thereafter was dominated by material from “Around the Sun,” due Oct. 4 internationally and a day later in North America. After lead singer Michael Stipe quipped to journalists that he didn’t want to see any reviews of the event headlined “Losing Their Religion,” the band performed such new songs as “Wanderlust,” “I Wanted To Be Wrong,” “Final Straw” and the album’s title track
Yorke joined the band for a guest vocal on the 1996 hit “E-Bow the Letter,” while the encore featured new single “Leaving New York” and 1992’s “Man on the Moon.” The show will air Oct. 23 on Radio 2.
R.E.M. has confirmed the U.K. and Irish leg of its 2005 European tour, which will see them play six shows from Feb. 19-26, with other European shows preceding them from Jan. 7-Feb. 11. The band will also play outdoor U.K. shows next summer, including a massive July 9 Hyde Park date.
Source billboard.com.
Deb Talan is definitely in the mold of Shawn Colvin and Dar Williams, and is something of a mix of the two vocally. She tells her stories well on A Bird Flies Out, and uses her unique voice to give her characters some substance. Her voice is steady and welcoming throughout; the flow and inflection of some notes providing a rich backdrop for the lyrics to paint their pictures in your mind.
Some larger festivals boast a similar peace, love and music philosophy, but Floyd actually lives it, not just for one weekend, but throughout the entire year. Long renowned for its artist communities and unique roots music drawing power, Floyd often seems like a place from another time, a vaguely recollected dream from which most of the world woke up decades ago.
Having recorded Attention Dimension as a five-year project, while healing from anxiety disorders, Jack Irons’ solo album has an obvious new-age feel, sounding like a yoga/meditation soundtrack in between guest spots from Eddie Vedder, Flea, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Les Claypool.
This Soto Zen Buddhist monastery provides educational workshops on Zen Buddhist philosophies and culture, such as the art of calligraphy or meditation, as well as sleeping facilities that foster relaxation, contemplation and simplicity.
Indie rock stalwarts Ted Leo & the Pharmacists have confirmed a host of headlining tour dates in support of their forthcoming fourth album, “Shake the Sheets.” As previously reported, the album is due Oct. 19 via Lookout!
The band will play New York’s Knitting Factory five days before the album’s street date, as part of the Lookout! Records CMJ Music Marathon showcase. The tour kicks off a week later (Oct. 21) in Baltimore, and dates are set through Dec. 10 in Philadelphia.
Support acts signed on for the tour include Brendan Benson, the Natural History, Mary Timony, the Lashes, Engine Down, Lucero, Matt Pond PA and Just A Fire.
The outing includes two-night stands at Washington, D.C.’s Black Cat (Dec. 1-2) and Cambridge, Mass.’ Middle East venue (Dec. 8-9). On Oct. 23 in Atlanta, the band will play two shows — a 5:00 p.m. all-ages gig and a 9:30 p.m. performance for fans 21-and-over. Leo also has a DJ set scheduled for Nov. 4 at Hollywood’s Beauty Bar.
Here are Ted Leo & the Pharmacists’ tour dates:
Oct. 14: New York (Knitting Factory)
Oct. 21: Baltimore (Ottobar)
Oct. 22: Raleigh, N.C. (Kings Lounge)
Oct. 23: Atlanta (the Earl — two shows)
Oct. 25: Orlando, Fla. (The Social)
Oct. 26: Tallahassee, Fla. (Club Downunder)
Oct. 27: New Orleans (Twiropa)
Oct. 28: Houston (Rice University Student Center)
Oct. 29: Dallas (Gypsy Tea Room)
Oct. 30: Austin, Texas (Emo’s Alternative Lounge)
Nov. 1: Tucson, Ariz. (Solar Culture Gallery)
Nov. 2: San Diego (Porters Pub)
Nov. 3: Anaheim, Calif. (Chain Reaction)
Nov. 4: Hollywood (Beauty Bar — Ted Leo DJ set)
Nov. 5: Los Angeles (El Rey Theater)
Nov. 6: San Francisco (Great American Music Hall)
Nov. 8: Portland, Ore. (Bossanova)
Nov. 9: Seattle (Neumos Crystal Ball Reading)
Nov. 10: Vancouver, B.C. (the Red Room)
Nov. 12: Salt Lake City (Kilby Court)
Nov. 13: Denver (Climax Lounge)
Nov. 14: Lawrence, Kan. (Bottleneck)
Nov. 15: Grinnell, Iowa (Gardner Lounge)
Nov. 16: Duluth, Minn. (University of Minnesota-Duluth)
Nov. 18: Chicago (Metro)
Nov. 19: Detroit (Magic Stick)
Nov. 20: Cleveland (Grog Shop)
Dec. 1-2: Washington, D.C. (Black Cat)
Dec. 4: Ithaca, N.Y. (Noyes Community Center at Cornell)
Dec. 8-9: Cambridge, Mass. (the Middle East)
Dec. 10: Philadelphia (Beyond Nightclub)
Source billboard.com.
