February 14, 2005

Ray Charles had a legendary career that defied categorization and influenced generations of artists

The Matthew Shapiro Think Global Start Local Benefit Concert is being designed in hopes of becoming the largest independent fundraising effort of its kind in New York

Sleater-Kinney will christen its new deal with Sub Pop via the May 24 release of the album “The Woods.” As previously reported, the 11-track set was produced by Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev) and recorded during a November burst at his upstate New York studio.

“The Woods” makes good on details guitarist/vocalist Corin Tucker revealed to Billboard.com just prior to the band hitting the recording studio. “The songs we’ve written are really heavy,” she said. “We want them to have an organic feel that is simplistic and yet sophisticated at the same time.”

“Some of them are much longer than we’ve ever written before,” she added. “There’s actually a space jam in between two of the songs.” Said jam bridges the thick rocker “Let’s Call It Love” and the echo-laden closer “Night Light” with five minutes of dirty blues guitar interplay and effects pedal assaults.

Much like Fugazi’s last two albums, “The Fox” finds Sleater-Kinney effectively broadening its sound without damaging the unique dynamic between Tucker, guitarist/vocalist Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss.

The album opens with the sludgy, overdriven “The Fox,” before offering up Hendrix-worthy guitar licks on “Wilderness,” chilly, harmony-tinged verse/emphatic chorus juxtapositions on “Jumpers” and a straight-up, sunny ballad (albeit with Fridmann’s arsenal of production tricks) on “Modern Girl.”

Sleater-Kinney begins a short run of live dates Feb. 25 in Bellingham, Wash., followed by a show the next night in Vancouver, a March 2-3 stand at New York’s Mercury Lounge and a March 16 gig as part of the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

A more extensive tour is in the works for later in the year.

Here is the track list for “The Woods”:

“The Fox”
“Wilderness”
“What’s Mine Is Yours”
“Jumpers”
“Modern Girl”
“Entertain”
“Rollercoaster”
“Steep Air”
“Let’s Call It Love”
“Night Light”

Source billboard.com.

Singer/songwriter Kathleen Edwards has begun setting up tour dates in support of her forthcoming Zoe/Rounder album, “Back to Me.” A handful of shows in her native Canada open Feb. 22 in Peterborough, Ont., with a smattering of U.S. shows set in March and May.

The night of the album’s release, Edwards will play New York’s Canal Room and appear on CBS’ “The Late Show With David Letterman.” A March 22 show is also set in Los Angeles. Judging by a steady stream of roadwork in support of her critically acclaimed 2003 debut, “Failer,” many more dates are likely to follow.

“Failer” debuted at No. 20 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and has sold 76,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Here are Edwards’ confirmed dates:

Feb. 22: Peterborough, Ont. (Gordon Best Theatre)
Feb. 23: Hamilton, Ont. (The Casbah)
Feb. 25-26: Wakefield, Quebec (The Black Sheep Inn)
March 1: New York (Canal Room)
March 22: Los Angeles (Knitting Factory)
May 10: Boston (Paradise)
May 11: Philadelphia (Theatre of Living Arts)

Source billboard.com.

Jazz trio the Bad Plus will on March 15 release the concert document “Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo” via Columbia. The eight-track set finds the band running through such rock numbers as Queen’s “We Are the Champions” and Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” as well as a 13-minute take on the group’s own “Silence Is the Answer” and an excerpt of the standard “My Funny Valentine.”

The group will be on the road this spring in support of 2004’s “Give,” which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart. Dates begin Thursday (Feb. 17) at New York’s Village Vanguard and run through a June 18 appearance at the annual Indianapolis Jazz Fest.

Source billboard.com.