One Fell Swoop, the sophomore CD by Spill Canvas, is hard to dislike. From the very first note, this hard rocking band is in overdrive. They slow it down for
Mighty Sam McClain is that most seasoned and agreeable of old school performers, a master of soul and R&B blues in the manner of Bobby “Blue” Bland, whom McClain has called an idol, and whose influence on him is lovingly pronounced. The show at the Stone Church (made even more so by a dark, starless night and plenty of car-obscuring fog) was not an all-star salute at Madison Square Garden, planned to the minute and sponsored beyond its ability to breathe comfortably. It was a warm, emotional benefit concert, and for the gathering of townies, friends (Sam now makes his home in New Hampshire) and dance-hearty music lovers in attendance, the place to be.
With their latest release Howl, BRMC has made their boldest statement yet. Gone are the walls of reverb, buzzing guitars and Jesus and Mary Chain comparisons, as they’re replaced with a collection of true Americana revealing 60’s counter-culture and Johnny Cash outlaw hymns.
Guster is eyeing a spring 2006 release date for its next Reprise album, “Ganging Up on the Sun.” Among the tracks tipped for inclusion are “Hang On,” “The Beginning of the End,” “C’mon,” “One Man Wrecking Machine” and an as-yet-unnamed track featuring vocals from a cashier who works at a food shop near where the band recorded in Woodstock, N.Y.
“I definitely think this is our most ambitious album and we were a lot more fearless going into this one musically, lyrically and production-wise,” vocalist/guitarist Ryan Miller tells Billboard.com. “In some ways, these songs are all over the map in texture and sound and tempo and feel but I hope, and think, that there emerges a through line that draws them all together. What that line is, I don’t really know. Melody? Pop sensibility?”
“Each of our albums have progressed logically from the one before,” Miller says. “‘Lost and Gone’ was the last chapter of the ‘bongo drum’ era and ‘Keep It Together’ was us getting our sea legs with new instrumentation and a renewed sense of creativity. With the addition of [multi-instrumentalist] Joe [Pisapia] in the last two years, it felt like we were finally hitting some sort of writing stride.”
“I think we step into the studio every time hoping to make a classic album,” Miller continues. “I certainly can’t say if we achieved that goal this time, but it’s definitely the closest we’ve come.”
Source billboard.com.
The Academy Is…have announced a nationwide headlining tour to support their debut their debut album ALMOST HERE (Fueled by Ramen). The 2-month long “Truckstops and Statelines” tour, which also features Panic! At the Disco, Acceptance and Hello Goodbye, is presented by XBOX and House of Blues and will kick off on February 1st in Grand Rapids, MI.
Since the release of ALMOST HERE, the Chicago band has been touring constantly with Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, Motion City Soundtrack and more, winning over kids and critics with every show. A hugely successful run on the Vans Warped Tour and sold out headline dates in the US and Europe have paved the way for their first major
headlining tour.
TRUCKSTOPS AND STATELINES TOUR DATES:
2/01/06 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection *
2/02/06 Toronto, Ontario Opera House Concert Venue
2/03/06 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
2/04/06 Boston, MA Avalon
2/05/06 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre
2/07/06 Providence, RI Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
2/08/06 New York, NY Irving Plaza
2/09/06 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance*
2/10/06 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony*
2/11/06 Atlantic City, NJ House of Blues
2/12/06 Washington, DC 9:30 Club*
2/14/06 Norfolk, VA The Norva*
2/15/06 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
2/16/06 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
2/17/06 Orlando, FL House of Blues
2/18/06 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
2/19/06 Ybor City, FL Masquerade
2/21/06 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
2/22/06 Houston, TX Engine Room*
2/23/06 Dallas, TX Trees*
2/24/06 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit*
2/26/06 Tucson, AZ The Rock*
2/28/06 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre*
3/01/06 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
3/02/06 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
3/03/06 Santa Barbara, CA The Hub at UCSB
3/04/06 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
3/05/06 San Diego, CA House of Blues
3/07/06 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
3/09/06 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
3/10/06 Seattle, WA The Showbox
3/11/06 Boise, ID The Big Easy Concert House
3/13/06 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue (formerly Bricks)
3/14/06 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
3/15/06 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre*
3/16/06 Des Moines, OH House of Bricks*
3/17/06 Minneapolis, MN The Quest*
3/18/06 St. Louis, MO Mississippi Nights*
3/19/06 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Club*
3/21/06 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
3/22/06 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
3/23/06 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
3/24/06 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
3/25/06 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
All dates presented by XBOX & House of Blues except where indicated
with a *.
For the third time in its career and the second this year, System Of A Down scores the top position on The Billboard 200. “Hypnotize” (American/Columbia) debuts at No. 1 on the album chart with sales of more than 320,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [Ed Note: This number has been revised from an earlier version of this story.]
Although it was enough to debut in the lead, the first-week total for “Hypnotize” came up shy of the 453,000 copies the rock act’s “Mezmerize” moved in its first week back in May. SOAD previously reached No. 1 with “Toxicity” in 2001.
Source billboard.com.
Photos by Brian Diescher of Les Claypool and his Fancy Band at the Roxy in Boston, MA 10/16/05.
Atmosphere made a good album in You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having. Filled with solid beats, sultry samples and a thriving musical relationship between Ant and Slug, the album proves to be Atmosphere’s most impressive recording to date, helping place Minneapolis and the rest of the Midwest on the musical map.
It’s been a year since Galactic parted ways with Theryl “The Houseman” deClouet and it seems the effusive fivesome is still trying to figure out how to handle vocals and lyrics.
moe. has announced dates for their winter tour. Scheduled to kickoff in late-January at Boston
