April 2005

Rock trio the Secret Machines will unveil a new EP on June 7, led by the single “The Road Leads Where It’s Led.” In addition to the previously unreleased track “Better Bring Your Friends,” the Reprise set boasts covers of Krautrock pioneer Harmonia’s “De Luxe (Immer Wider),” the Motown staple “Money (That’s What I Want),” Bob Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country” and Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks.”

The latter two tracks have been part of the band’s live sets for some time. At deadline, Secret Machines’ only two confirmed dates are this weekend at California’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and June 10 at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn.

Sources say Secret Machines are also eyeing a run of dates with Kings Of Leon. Although the routing has not been confirmed, based on Kings Of Leon’s tour schedule, which finds the band opening for U2 through May 28 in Boston and then headed to the United Kingdom, the outing couldn’t begin until mid- or late July at the earliest and may not materialize until the fall.

Source billboard.com.

Bob Mould has wrapped work on his first studio album in three years, “Body of Song.” As previously reported, Yep Roc will release the former Husker Du/Sugar leader’s new 12-track set on July 26. Guests include Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, former Sugar bassist David Barbe, Garland Of Hours principal Amy Domingues and former Bob Mould Band member Matt Hammon.

Aside from the vocal effects on tracks like “(Shine Your) Light Love Hope,” the new album largely dispenses with the synth/electronica-flavored sound that dominated Mould’s 2002 release, “Modulate.” Instead, there are a handful of ballads (“Gauze of Friendship,” “High Fidelity”), several Sugar-esque rockers (“Paralyzed,” “Underneath Days”) and such intriguing sound collages as the six-minute closer “Beating Heart the Prize.”

Mould will begin a world tour in the fall with a full band featuring Canty on drums. According to a spokesperson, the trek will touch on all aspects of Mould’s back catalog.

Here is the track list for “Body of Song”:

“Circles”
“(Shine Your) Light Love Hope”
“Paralyzed”
“I am Vision, I am Sound”
“Underneath Days”
“Always Tomorrow”
“Days of Rain”
“Best Thing”
“High Fidelity”
“Missing You”
“Gauze of Friendship”
“Beating Heart the Prize”

Source billboard.com.

For the first time in twenty-five years, alt-rock hero Curt Kirkwood is officially on his own. And as he puts the finishing touches on his solo debut, the Meat Puppets guitarist, singer and songwriter is enjoying his newfound independence.

“I don’t have to wake up and find out so-and-so hasn’t had their enema yet, or that the enema went awry and it’ll be another hour before they can leave their hotel room,” Kirkwood says with a laugh. “Musicians are great and all that, but every musician I’ve ever met lives in a world of their own.”

Now signed to Grammy-winning producer Pete Anderson’s label, Little Dog Records, Kirkwood is currently completing theprovisionally titled Snow for fall release. But just because Anderson helped pioneer cowpunk — and worked with Dwight Yoakam — don’t assume the new disc is a country effort.

To read more, please visit rollingstone.com.

You know that a show has been around a long time when they start measuring milestones in episodic increments of 50.

But it’s understandable that “The Simpsons” should want to make a big deal out of hitting 350 episodes with this Sunday’s installment.

As the legendary Fox series wraps up its 16th season, the denizens of Springfield are wading in some uncharted prime-time waters. When executive producer Al Jean boasts that “The Simpsons” “just enjoyed the best 16th season of any comedy ever,” that’s because no other comedy has ever made it this far.

How many episodes is 350? More than the combined total of “Seinfeld” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” “The Simpsons” will pass “Dallas” (357 episodes) on the all-time series list before 2005 is out. Then it takes aim at the only two comedies to have produced more segments: “My Three Sons” at 380 episodes and “The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet” at a somewhat astounding 435.

Can “The Simpsons” really make it to 435 — a feat that would require the show see a (gasp) 20th season?

To read more, please visit CNN.com.

With its new single, “Speed of Sound,” infiltrating radio worldwide, Coldplay has confirmed the first five dates of its late summer/early fall North American tour. At deadline, the route begins Aug. 8 at the Tweeter Center outside Boston and runs through Sept. 24 in Houston. No opening acts have yet been announced for the tour, although they will reportedly include Franz Ferdinand and Rilo Kiley.

Coldplay has also been gradually confirming a series of North American club/theatre gigs to build buzz for its upcoming Capitol album, “X&Y, due June 7. On tap so far are shows on May 4 in San Francisco, May 6 in Chicago, May 11 in Toronto and May 17 in New York. The day before the latter, Coldplay will tape an episode of VH1’s “Storytellers” program at Brooklyn’s Academy of Music.

The band’s official Web site is offering a VIP travel package to New York for the May 16-17 shows, including tickets and three nights of hotel.

Meanwhile, a video for “Speed of Sound” was shot over the weekend with director Mark Romanek (Beck, Jay-Z, Madonna). The cut will debut tomorrow (April 28) at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart, having logged 44,000 paid downloads. “Speed of Sound” also will open at No. 8 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks tally and No. 31 on the Adult Top 40 roundup.

Coldplay is gearing up for its Saturday headlining slot at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., and will warm up the night before with a Las Vegas club gig featuring Rilo Kiley.

Source billboard.com.

The String Cheese Incident release their fifth studio album, One Step Closer, on June 28, 2005 on their own record label, SCI Fidelity Records. One Step Closer was recorded at a friend’s home in the hills of Colorado’s Front Range, and was produced by Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Chris Whitley, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois). The recording experience proved to be cathartic for the five members of SCI, and the high and low points of the process are revealed in an accompanying DVD that features 30 minutes of exclusive B-roll footage. The end result: a gritty, free-wheeling and powerfully honed collection of 13 original songs, and a band reborn and re-inspired to continue their legacy as one of today’s most visionary and talented rock bands.