2005

Wilco has set a Nov. 1 release for the Nonesuch concert document “Kicking Television — Live in Chicago.” The double-disc set stitches together 23 tracks from four May performances at the Vic Theatre in the group’s hometown, marking the first official release of live material from Wilco’s latest lineup.

“Kicking Television” focuses on material from the group’s acclaimed 2004 album, “A Ghost Is Born,” including “Company in My Back,” “Muzzle of Bees,” “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” “Handshake Drugs,” “Hell Is Chrome” and “At Least That’s What You Said.”

The Jeff Tweedy-led band also reaches back for such oldies as “Misunderstood” and “Via Chicago,” the “A Ghost Is Born” rarity from which the album takes its name and “One by One” and “Airline to Heaven” from its collaborative albums with Billy Bragg. The set closes with a cover of Charles Wright’s “Comment.”

Wilco has a handful of shows on tap this fall, including a Sunday (Sept. 18) appearance at Farm Aid just outside Chicago and an Oct. 15 support slot in Atlanta with the Rolling Stones.

Here is track list for “Kicking Television”:

Disc one:
“Misunderstood”
“Company in My Back”
“The Late Greats”
“Hell Is Chrome”
“Handshake Drugs”
“I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”
“Shot in the Arm”
“At Least That’s What You Said”
“Wishful Thinking”
“Jesus, Etc.”
“I’m the Man Who Loves You”
“Kicking Television”

Disc two:
“Via Chicago”
“Hummingbird”
“Muzzle of Bees”
“One by One”
“Airline to Heaven”
“Radio Cure”
“Ashes of American Flags”
“Heavy Metal Drummer”
“Poor Places”
“Spiders (Kidsmoke)”
“Comment”

Here are Wilco’s tour dates:

Sept. 18: Tinley Park, Ill. (Farm Aid)
Sept. 21: Columbia, Mo. (Outdoors on 9th St.)
Sept. 22: Tulsa, Okla. (Cain’s Ballroom)
Sept. 24: Austin, Texas (Stubb’s BBQ)
Sept. 25: Austin, Texas (Austin City Limits)
Oct. 13: Indianapolis (Murat Theatre)
Oct. 14: Asheville, N.C. (Thomas Wolfe Auditorium)
Oct. 15: Atlanta (Philips Arena; w/ Rolling Stones)
Oct. 22: Rio de Janeiro (Tim Festival)

Source billboard.com.

Tom Waits, Dave Matthews, Trey Anastasio, John Mayer Trio, Joss Stone and the Meters have signed on for a Sept. 20 benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The event will be held simultaneously with a previously announced benefit at the city’s Madison Square Garden.

Also on the bill for the Radio City show are Galactic with the Mardi Gras Indians and Ray Lamontagne. Tickets go on sale Thursday (Sept. 15) via Ticketmaster.

Meanwhile, a host of top acts have joined the bill for the Madison Square Garden event, including Simon & Garfunkel, who will be making their first live appearance since the July 2004 conclusion of their Old Friends reunion tour.

They will be flanked by new additions Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Kermit Ruffins, Irma Thomas, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Dave Bartholomew and Troy “Tromboneshorty” Andrews. Among the previously announced acts are Elton John, Jimmy Buffett, John Fogerty, Lenny Kravitz, Ry Cooder, Stevie Nicks, Fats Domino and Bette Midler.

Although organizers say Rod Stewart has dropped off the bill “due to injury,” a spokesperson for the artist says he will be recovering from shoulder surgery and has been advised by doctors not to return to the stage just yet.

Proceeds will be donated to such organizations as the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund, Habitat for Humanity, the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund and the Children’s Health Fund.

Source billboard.com.

New Orleans’ premiere music event, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest), will return next year, according to Randy Phillips of AEG Live, co-producers of Jazz Fest with Festival Productions Inc. (FPI).

“We are going to do a Jazz Fest in ’06,” Phillips tells Billboard.com. “Where, how, with what infrastructure, will all be worked out.” Phillips says the event may take place in New Orleans, depending on the progress of recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, or in a nearby market such as Baton Rouge.

Meanwhile, tales of the demise of New Orleans’ 30-year-old Superdome have been exaggerated, according to officials at SMG, the Philadelphia-based management firm that runs the stadium and adjacent New Orleans Arena.

No venue has been more of a focal point during Katrina than the Superdome, which provided refuge for some 24,000 evacuees for six days before they were relocated. But the Superdome suffered so much damage, including losing much of its roof, that some media reports have stated the venue will never re-open.

“Any comment relative to the future of the dome that somebody states with any certainty is not based upon any factual evidence,” SMG senior VP of stadiums and arenas Glenn Mon tells Billboard.com. “First of all, structurally we believe the building is sound.”

Mon saw the Superdome firsthand on Labor Day, and says it will take at least 45-60 days to assess the damage. “The dome is damaged, let there be no doubt about it,” he says. “We’ve got a couple of large holes in the roof where the ventilation system flew off, obviously the skin blew off and was ripped and torn. We’ve taken an awful lot of water infiltration into the facility.”

Source billboard.com.

Phil Lesh has assembled his newest friends for a fall tour entitled “Shadow Of The Moon.” Along with Lesh and Chris Robinson, Jimmy Herring, John Molo, Mookie Seigel and Barry Sless will make up the band for this primarily east coast tour. Strangely absent are New York City and Philadelphia stops, but dates in NYC and Philly are expected for early 2006.

Full tour dates are available at: phillesh.net

RAQ, the electrifying rock quartet from Burlington, Vermont who starts their eight week tour tomorrow, September 14th, at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA has added more dates to the southern leg. Highlights added include an after WSP show at the Surf Caf

As first reported here earlier this month, Kanye West will launch a fall tour with Common, Fantasia and Keyshia Cole. The Touch the Sky trek will begin Oct. 11 in Miami and run through Dec. 11 in Vancouver, and includes multiple-night stands at New York’s Theatre at Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’ Universal Amphitheatre.

“I love performing,” West recently told Billboard. “I love the feeling of these tracks playing, getting the opportunity to hear them really loud and see what’s connecting with people the most.”

West is the hottest artist in the country right now, boasting the No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 with “Late Registration.” The Island/Def Jam set has already sold more than 1.14 million copies in just two weeks. Tomorrow, he will also begin a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Gold Digger” featuring Jamie Foxx.

Here are Kanye West’s tour dates:

Oct. 11: Miami (Convocation Center)
Oct. 12: Tampa, Fla. (Superdome)
Oct. 13: Gainesville, Fla. (O’Connell Center)
Oct. 15: Greenville, S.C. (Bi-Lo Center)
Oct. 16: Knoxville, Tenn. (Thompson-Boling Arena)
Oct. 18: Columbia, Mo. (Mizzou Arena)
Oct. 19: Champaign, Ill. (Assembly Hall)
Oct. 21: Buffalo, N.Y. (Alumni Arena)
Oct. 22: Detroit (Fox Theater)
Oct. 23: city/venue TBA
Oct. 26: Kingston, R.I. (Ryan Center)
Oct. 28: University Park, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Oct. 29: Cleveland (CSU Convocation Center)
Oct. 30: Fairfax, Va. (Patriot Center)
Oct. 31: Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center)
Nov. 2-3: New York (Theatre at Madison Square Garden)
Nov. 4: Baltimore (First Mariner Arena)
Nov. 5: Hampton, Va. (Coliseum)
Nov. 6: Philadelphia (Liacouris Center)
Nov. 8: Pittsburgh (AJ Palumbo Center)
Nov. 9: Toronto (ACC)
Nov. 11: East Lansing, Mich. (Breslin Center)
Nov. 12: Chicago (Rosemont Theater)
Nov. 13: city/venue TBA
Nov. 14: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh Ryan Arena)
Nov. 15: Carbondale, Ill. (SIU Arena)
Nov. 17: Atlanta (Gwinnett Center)
Nov. 18: Greensboro, N.C. (Coliseum)
Nov. 19: Statesboro, Ga. (GSU)
Nov. 20: Birmingham (BJCC)
Nov. 22: Oklahoma City (Ford Center)
Nov. 23: Memphis (Mid-South Coliseum)
Nov. 25: Houston (Reliant Arena)
Nov. 26: Dallas (Nokia Live)
Nov. 27: Kansas City, Mo. (Kemper Arena)
Nov. 29: Denver (Magness Arena)
Dec. 1: Phoenix (Dodge Theater)
Dec. 2: San Diego (Cox Arena/RIMAC)
Dec. 3-4: Los Angeles (Universal Amphitheatre)
Dec. 6: San Francisco (Bill Graham Civic Auditorium)
Dec. 7: Las Vegas (venue TBA)
Dec. 9: Portland, Ore. (Memorial Coliseum)
Dec. 10: Seattle (Everett Event Center)
Dec. 11: Vancouver (GM Place)

Source billboard.com.

September 28, Josh Ritter will head out on a fall tour with The Frames, showcasing new material from his forthcoming album for V2 Records, The Animal Years, to be released in early 2006. The fall tour features dates in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia. Please see reverse for full itinerary.

Working with producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine), Ritter spent the first half of this year recording at Engine Studios in Chicago and at Bear Creek Studios in Seattle. This summer, Ritter played a number of tour dates opening for Keane and My Morning Jacket and played at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts. Currently, he is touring in Australia, for the first time, with Martha Wainwright.

V2 Records recently signed Ritter and released his critically acclaimed CD Hello Starling

The Dandy Warhols will release their new album Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars on Tuesday September 13th.

Odditorium finds the Dandys bringing it all back home, but in a different way. Co-producers Courtney Taylor-Taylor and longtime band collaborator Gregg Williams have captured and augmented the sound of the Dandys doing what they do best — making super-seductive music for your head and your hips.

Born of long sessions that found the band experimenting freely with new instrumentation and adding new flavors to their trademark mix of seamless rock hooks, turned-on drone, deep psychedelia and a big shot of the country blues, Odditorium is an expansive rock and roll album that could only come from the minds (and home) of the Dandys.

The band will be playing a short northeast tour in conjunction with the release. The tour dates are listed below.

SUN 9/11 Toronto, ONT Mod Club
TUE 9/13 Philadelphia, PA Beyond
WED 9/14 New York, NY CBGB
FRI 9/16 Portsmouth, NH Red Hook Brewery WFNX Radio Show
SAT 9/17 Albany, NY LarkFest WEQX Radio