Synchronicity is something that, as I have found, follows the Grateful Dead’s music around pretty closely. There is something just plain magical about their songs. This was exemplified to me, yet again, when I was initiated into the world of the Dark Star Orchestra at Higher Ground.
PJ Harvey sensationally revealed onstage in Paris this weekend that she is quitting playing live.
The star was performing in front of 350 competition winners at Studio 287 in northern France when she announced: “This is the last show I will ever play.”
The comment came in the wake of the likely last ever live show from The Libertines on the same bill.
The comment also echoes the statement made by David Bowie back in 1973 at London Hammersmith Odeon. It later transpired he was only retiring his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust.
PJ Harvey played a set featuring songs covering her entire 13-year career, including ‘Victory’, ‘Me Jane’, ‘Shame’ and the closing ‘Meet Ze Monsta’.
Source: nme.com
After five years of college, ten thousand dollars of accumulated debt, one too many speeding tickets and a variety of interesting, yet ultimately failed relationships with women, I decided at the age of 25 it was time to break free from my self imposed prison and do what any sensible east coast homeboy should in a situation of extreme duress
In the studio, a husband and wife pairing either lends itself to standard cookie-cutter romance or some completely unique creations. When they have a musical menage a trios with a fierce and fiery drummer though, the results are bound to be pounding hot.
Spearhead, Camper Van Beethoven and Ozomatli are among the artists contributing tracks to the Sublime tribute album, Look At All the Love We’ve Found, due next summer. Sublime came to an untimely end when frontman Brad Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, just two months before the California ska-punks’ breakthrough album.
Along with Blackalicious MC Gift of Gab, Spearhead take on “What I Got,” Sublime’s signature hit. “I decided to do the song because I am a fan,” explains Spearhead’s Michael Franti. “There was a sincerity about Brad’s voice and lyrics that I always identified with. It is such a tragedy when there is a band that has as much promise as Sublime, and it gets cut off so short. I remember feeling the same way about Nirvana.”
Camper, who will cover “Garden Grove,” got involved because Sublime had covered one of their songs. “There is a cover of ‘Eye of Fatima’ that’s essentially Brad Nowell by himself on acoustic guitar,” says bassist Victor Krummenacher. “It was a nice nod in our direction, and I thought that since Brad had enough respect to cover Camper, being part of this tribute album was more than fitting.”
“This was the first time we ever recorded a cover song and were proud of how it came out,” says Ozomatli leader Wil-Dog Abers of their version of “April 29, 1992.” “I always thought [Sublime] had something real.”
Others confirmed include Pennywise (“Same in the End”), Fishbone (“Date Rape”), the Greyboy Allstars (“Doin’ Time”), Avail (“Santeria”), Bargain Music (“Get Out!”), the Ziggens (“Paddle Out”), and Mike Watt with Stephen Perkins and Petra Haden (“Work That We Do”). Jack Johnson, No Doubt, G. Love and Special Sauce, and ex-Meat Puppet Curt Kirkwood have expressed interest in the project, according to organizers.
In putting together Love, Zach Fischel (head of Cornerstone RAS, an offshoot of Sublime’s longtime label, Skunk), invited artists who influenced Sublime as well as those who were influenced by them. “Sublime’s music was always diverse in its influences, and we wanted this tribute album to have the same type of diversity.”
Although their career lasted less than a decade, Sublime left their mark on the ska-punk world, issuing a pair of underground favorites, 1992’s 40 Oz. to Freedom and 1994’s Robbin’ the Hood, before Nowell’s death. The group’s third release, Sublime, was released posthumously, and became a major hit on the strength of such singles as “What I Got” and “Santeria.”
By design, Sublime bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh will not appear on the album. “They’re in the loop, and they’ll definitely hear it before anyone else,” Fischel says. “We want them to just be able to sit back, relax and hear some great artists paying tribute to the music they wrote.”
Source rollingstone.com.
In 2002 – before anyone in the band had turned 20 – Brit-rock quartet The Music exploded onto the charts when their self-titled debut hit No. four in the U.K.
Shortly thereafter, the band made their first U.S. appearance touring with Aussie sensations The Vines and fellow Brits Coldplay.
Now, with their latest release, Welcome to the North, the boys have announced a new round of tour dates that will have them traveling worldwide well into March.
The school chums comprising The Music – vocalist Rob Harvey; guitarist Adam Nutter; bass player Stuart Coleman; and drummer Phil Jordan – are playing a handful of dates before they head to Japan.
The foursome will do a week’s worth of shows in Japan before they travel to Australia to perform all six dates on Big Day Out.
Those shows will span from January 21 – February 6 and will include the likes of The Streets, System of a Down, Le Tigre, Hatebreed, Kid 606, The Hives, and many others.
From there, The Music jump to yet another continent and make their 2005 U.S. debut at New York’s Irving Plaza on February 17.
That same gig also marks the date that fellow U.K. indie outfit Kasabian joins the party. They are scheduled to appear with The Music on the remainder of the tour, which has dates scheduled into mid-late March.
Source pollstar.com.
Like many bands flush with the success of a debut album, the Killers have spent the better part of the year in the road in support of “Hot Fuss” (Island). And while the group has several new songs percolating for its second set, touring will dominate the landscape for at least the next few months.
The Killers are in the midst of a short Australian trek that wraps Monday (Dec. 20) in Brisbane. A rare show in the quartet’s Las Vegas hometown is on tap for Dec. 30, to be followed by a New Year’s Eve show in Los Angeles and a three-week U.K. tour in January. A four-show swing through Japan is also booked for early March.
As for the new songs, guitarist Dave Keuning tells Billboard.com the band is “painfully close” to unveiling them at upcoming shows. “Almost,” he says. “Maybe by the end of the year we’ll play them.” According to vocalist Brandon Flowers, the crop includes “I Won’t Let You Down,” “Daddy’s Eyes” and “It’s Only Natural.”
“We’re trying to strip it down a little bit,” Flowers says of the material. “Not have it be so busy. Just let it breathe and let it be a great song. We wrote some great songs on the first one, but these have more of a classic feel.”
After the Japan dates, the band will begin demoing new material with several producers, including Flood (U2, Smashing Pumpkins) and Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver). “We actually worked with Alan on our record, so we’re familiar with him,” says Flowers. Adds drummer Ronnie Vannucci, “That time will be used to get some ideas on tape and tie up the loose ends of the songs that have been written on the road.”
Capping the Killers’ breakthrough year was last week’s announcement that the band had been nominated for three Grammys: best rock album for “Hot Fuss” plus best rock song and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal for “Somebody Told Me.”
“Three of them! One would have been nice but three is just… we’re excited,” Flowers says.
Here are the Killers’ tour dates:
Dec. 16: Adelaide, Australia (Thebarton Theatre)
Dec. 17: Melbourne (the Palace)
Dec. 18: Sydney (Enmore Theatre)
Dec. 20: Brisbane, Australia (Arena)
Dec. 30: Las Vegas (House of Blues)
Dec. 31: Los Angeles (Giant Village)
Jan. 19: Northumbria, England (University)
Jan. 20-21: Glasgow (Academy)
Jan. 23: Nottingham, England (Rock City)
Jan. 24: Birmingham, England (Academy)
Jan. 25: Liverpool, England (University)
Jan. 27: Leeds, England (University)
Jan. 28-29: Manchester, England (Academy)
Jan. 31: Norwich, England (UEA)
Feb. 1: Bristol, England (Academy)
Feb. 2: Brighton, England (Dome)
Feb. 4: Cambridge, England (Corn Exchange)
Feb. 5: Southampton, England (Guildhall)
Feb. 6: Cardiff, England (University)
Feb. 7, 9: London (Brixton Academy)
March 6: Nagoya, Japan (Club Quattro)
March 8: Hiroshima, Japan (Club Quattro)
March 9: Osaka, Japan (Club Quattro)
March 10: Tokyo (Liquid Room)
Source billboard.com.
On the mounting success of their full-length debut, Funeral, eccentric Montreal pop sextet the Arcade Fire are readying for a second, more extensive tour of the States, kicking off January 13th in San Francisco and wrapping up on February 3rd in Boston.
But the band members are hoping that their newfound popularity won’t force them to behave like rock stars. “If it’s going to be, like, us wanking our little guitars in the spotlight, not seeing anyone — no, that’s not the point,” says multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Regine Chassagne. “It’s a human thing. I like to meet people after a show, and sometimes I recognize them from another show.”
The Arcade Fire (named for the fire department where a family member worked) include frontman Win Butler and wife Chassagne, Win’s younger brother Will, guitarist Richard Parry, bassist Tim Kingsbury and touring violinist Sarah Neufeld. And their eclectic sound stems from the wide-ranging tastes of their members. “I was listening to classical music and Mary Poppins and weird voodoo Haitian records,” explains Chassagne, who plays piano, accordion, drums and xylophone. “I sang in choirs, and played for a long time in a medieval band — I wore a costume, sang in old languages, played the recorder and mandolin and tambourine. I was singing jazz when I met Win.”
“There’s a bunch of Eastern European bands that my brother turned me on to,” adds Butler. “He was just in the Czech Republic doing a big thing on Czech rock & roll in the Eighties.” Butler, however, is convinced that the sum of all these parts is pretty simple: “For all its eccentricities, the band is a pop band.”
For new fans, the Arcade Fire’s self-titled debut EP is only available at their shows. But one track from that record, “No Cars Go,” can now be downloaded at the iTunes music store. And for those across the pond, the group has signed a deal to distribute Funeral in the U.K. through Rough Trade Records, set to hit stores there on February 28th.
Meanwhile, the Arcade Fire have begun work on new songs at their studio in Butler’s family barn in Maine, and they’ve recently completed their first video, for the track “Rebellion (Lies).” “It’s a real video,” says Butler. “We got a grant from the Canadian government to make it!”
The Arcade Fire tour dates:
1/13-14: San Francisco, Great American Music Hall
1/15-16: Los Angeles, Troubadour
1/17: San Diego, Casbah
1/18: Tucson, AZ, Solar Culture
1/21: Austin, Emo’s
1/23: Houston, Fat Cat’s
1/24: New Orleans, House of Blues
1/26: Atlanta, Variety Playhouse
1/27: Asheville, NC, The Orange Peel
1/30: Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
1/31: Philadelphia, Theatre of Living Arts
2/1: New York, Bowery Ballroom
2/2: Brooklyn, NY, Warsaw
2/3: Boston, Roxy
Source rollingstone.com.
It was just a bit ago that Todd Carey was stage leader and front-man of west coast jam rockers, Telepathy. Recently, a music transposition occurred for this Chicago native allowing him to mature as the sensitive singer-songwriter type. His debut album Revolving World is molded upon his strongest elements of showmanship, production and songwriting, bridging the cap between singer/songwriter and rocker.
Former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo has made his first public statement about the murder of bandmate “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, with whom he had feuded in the press in recent years. Abbott was murdered on stage in Columbus, Ohio, last week during a performance with his new band, Damageplan.
“I love Dimebag Darrell because there was not one motherf***er like him,” he said. “I love him like a brother loves a brother.” Anselmo also reached out to Dimebag’s brother/ex-Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, referring to him as “my other brother. I’m so sorry to his family. I want to say bless his family [and] all of his close friends. I wish his family the least grief they could ever have, and I know it’s impossible.”
Sadly, Anselmo did not attend Dimebag’s funeral in Texas earlier this week. “I never got a chance to say goodbye in the right way and it kills me,” he said. “I wish to God I could’ve gone to his funeral, but I have to respect his family’s wishes, and they do not want me there. I believe I belong there, but I understand completely.”
The artist, who now fronts hard rock act Superjoint Ritual, ended his message with hints that he may not resurface for some time. “This has changed the entire world, and this is the last you’ll be seeing of me for a long time,” he said. “I hope you’re happy, heavy metal music magazines, media, I hope you’re happy. I’m done.”
Source billboard.com.
