For his first-ever solo band DVD, Betts is in brilliant, loveably raffish form, commanding the latest incarnation of his group, Great Southern, with the panache of a skilled bandleader and heavy-wattage country rock star.
Singer/songwriter Beth Orton will hit the road in support of her next album, “Comfort of Strangers,” beginning in March in the United Kingdom, to be followed by a North American visit in April and May. As previously reported, “Comfort” is due Feb. 6 via Astralwerks and was produced by Jim O’Rourke (Wilco, Sonic Youth).
And though there has been some speculation that O’Rourke might hit the road with Orton and “Comfort” drummer Tim Barnes, Orton tells Billboard.com, “Jim can’t tour and Tim can’t either, because they’re doing the producing thing. But they’re helping me get [the touring band] together.”
Also in the works for Orton is a possible project with fellow singer/songwriter M. Ward, who co-wrote the new album’s title track with her. Ward won Orton over after she saw him performing live, and the pair shared two dates together this summer.
“I was completely mesmerized watching him,” she says. “We hope to be doing some writing together soon.”
Source billboard.com.
The Benevento/Russo Duo featuring Mike Gordon will hit the road again to close out 2005 with a 5-date late December run kicking off in Atlantic City and dipping into 2006 with a set of dates in Florida, including a New Year’s Eve show in sunny Ft. Lauderdale.
A limited ticket pre-sale is available through Mike Gordon’s secure online ticketing system NOW before they go on sale to the public. The Mike Gordon ticket site can be found at mikegordontickets.rlc.net .
Additional tickets will go on sale to the public beginning Friday, November 26.
BENEVENTO/RUSSO DUO FEATURING MIKE GORDON DECEMBER TOUR
12/26 The Music Box at The Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ (All Ages)
12/27 State Theatre, Falls Church, VA (18+)
12/29 Freebird Live, Jacksonville, FL (18+)
12/30 Jannus Landing, Tampa, FL (All Ages)
12/31 Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (All Ages)
Veteran Scottish rock act Belle & Sebastian will release its new album, “The Life Pursuit,” Feb. 6 via Rough Trade in the United Kingdom and Europe. The set will arrive the next day in the United States via Matador. B&S recorded its first five studio albums for the New York-based label before inking with Rough Trade for the release of 2003’s “Dear Catastrophe Waitress.”
“The Life Pursuit” was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Tony Hoffer (Air, Beck). First single “Funny Little Frog” will be commercially released Jan. 16 internationally.
The group will tour the United Kingdom early next year, beginning with a Jan. 15-17 stand in Glasgow. North American dates are being eyed for March.
As previously reported, former member Isobel Campbell will release a collaborative album with Mark Lanegan, “Ballad of the Broken Seas,” next year via V2. The project will be preceded Dec. 13 with the EP “Ramblin’ Man.”
Here is the track list for “The Life Pursuit”:
“Act of the Apostle Part 1”
“Another Sunny Day”
“White Collar Boy”
“The Blues Are Still Blue”
“Dress Up in You”
“Sukie in the Graveyard”
“We Are the Sleepyheads”
“Song for Sunshine”
“Funny Little Frog”
“To Be Myself Completely”
“Act of the Apostle Part 2”
“For the Price of a Cup of a Tea”
“Mornington Crescent”
Source billboard.com.
Kaiser Chiefs have been forced to cancel their appearances at Spain’s Wintercase Tour this week due to a “highly contagious and rare virus”.
The band were due to kick off their stint on the travelling festival in Valencia tomorrow night (November 17) with The Tears and Clovis, before heading to Barcelona (18), Madrid (19) and Bilbao (20).
A statement from the band on their official website, kaiserchiefs.co.uk, said: “It’s with deep regret we have to cancel our planned gigs on the Wintercase Tour in Spain this week. These are the first shows in Kaiser Chiefs history we have cancelled.”
“The cancellation is caused by an outbreak a highly contagious and rare virus in our travel party. Unfortunately this has lead to enforced cancellation of all Kaiser Chiefs gigs this week until each of the band has the all-clear following medical tests.”
They added: “We apologise for any disappointment this may cause and hope you understand the strange circumstances that have lead to this. We hope it’s not too long before we have the chance to visit Spain again. We apologise for any disappointed Spanish fans and those of you that were travelling from anywhere else. We hope you still enjoy The Tears at these gigs.”
Source NME.com.
Yo La Tengo is once again doing Hanukkah just right, here’s the scoop in their own words:
“We’re writing to let you know that once again we’ll be performing all 8 nights of Hanukkah at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. This year, just to make it extra crazy, Hanukkah begins on December 25 and continues through January 1. If you’ve never attended one of our Hanukkah shows before, you’ll surely want to blow off your families and rectify that situation. Each night there will be a band and a comedian and a set by us, and maybe more.
“Tickets will go on sale Wednesday November 9. Tickets can be purchased by going to Tunes in Hoboken (225 Washington St.) or Other Music in New York (15. E. 4th St.). Or you can purchase tickets on line here.
Tickets will be $20 per night, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, which will be $30. All shows will be all-ages, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, which will be 21+. As usual, we’ll be donating the proceeds to charity, and no, we don’t know which ones yet.
The Slip have slowly been developing its distinct sound and style since the mid-nineties. The three-piece, made up of Brad Barr on guitars and lead vocals, Andrew Barr on drums and percussion and Marc Friedman on bass, have earned a strong dedicated following in that has been continually growing. Their sound spans everything from free-form jazz to almost pop-flavored power rock tunes and everything in between. A few days into their fall tour, The Slip stopped by Burlington to play a performance that at times, felt like a cozy family dinner and at others a timeless space voyage.
A place like Las Vegas makes forgetting easy, but Widespread Panic, who have planted so many roots in New Orleans, made it a point to remember this Halloween night.
Whether you call it underground, intelligent or backpacker it
ure plans to hit the studio in January to record its next album, according to a post from frontman Robert Smith on the group’s Web site. “We are still on course for a summer release, as it’s all in the preparation,” he said.
The-as-yet-untitled effort will be the Cure’s first since keyboardist Roger O’Donnell and guitarist Perry Bamonte left the band earlier this year (former guitarist Porl Thompson has since rejoined). It will be the follow-up to 2004’s “The Cure,” which has sold 317,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Smith also said that he is close to completing the next phase of the band’s expanded reissue series, which will include 1984’s “The Top,” 1985’s “The Head on the Door” and 1987’s “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, as well as “The Blue Sunshine,” a 1983 album Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees bassist Steve Severin created under the name the Glove. The sets should be out by next spring.
In addition, Smith is assembling a live DVD from the Cure’s summer performances and “writing some film music,” according to his message.
Source billboard.com.
