2005

The latest release from New Monsoon is entitled, The Sound. The album will be released Spetember 6, 2005 on the label Harmonzied Records, just as the band finishes one of their busiest summers ever. As part of the Big Summer Classic Tour and numerous established festivals such as the High Sierra Music Festival, Smilefest, All Good, and Wakarusa, New Monsoon played to their largest audiences ever. Now those same eager ears will be treated to an entirely new side of the band.

To create The Sound, New Monsoon enlisted the help of producers Michael Shrieve (original drummer for Santana who has worked with Steve Winwood, Pete Townsend, Jaco Pastorious, John McLaughlin, and others) and Paul Kimble (Grant Lee Buffalo, Venus In Furs, Luna), who guided the band to find themselves creatively in the studio. As a result, The Sound is a tangible evolution for New Monsoon, showcasing their formidable songwriting skills, artful arrangements, and textural studio explorations.

Guitarist/vocalist Jeff Miller elaborates, “The Sound is a breakthrough for us in terms of studio recording. Working with Michael and Paul, we were able to get to the core of our songs and arrangements. The Sound is a sonic journey, from harder edged cuts like the title track to more ethereal cuts like “Hold On For Now.” The album is designed to chronicle subjects ranging from life on the road to socio-political perspectives about our world and experiences. We were able to use the studio in such a way as to create layers and textures we couldn’t capture live, thus showing a facet of the band that is more cohesive and succinct.”

With two guitars, piano, bass, vocal harmonies, and an army of percussion that includes drumset, Tabla, congas, and more, New Monsoon have conquered stages across the country with their freewheeling improvisations. Now, with The Sound, listeners will experience the focused power of the band’s imagination.

Thursday, September 15 The Independent San Francisco, CA – CD Release party, discounted CDs for sale
Thursday, September 22 Winston’s San Diego, CA
Friday, September 23 Baja Bash Mexico
Saturday, September 24 Soho’s Santa Barbara, CA
Thursday, September 29 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO – OPENING FOR DARK STAR ORCHESTRA
Friday, September 30 Cervantes Masterpiece Denver, CO
Saturday, October 01 Aggie Theatre Ft Collins, CO
Wednesday, October 05 Belly Up Aspen, CO
Thursday, October 06 The Summit Durango, CO
Friday, October 07 Mesa Theatre Grand Junction, CO
Tuesday, October 11 Annex Madison, WI
Wednesday, October 12 Martyr’s Chicago, ILL
Friday, October 14 Harper’s Ferry Alston, MA
Saturday, October 15 The Knitting Factory NY, NY
Sunday, October 16 Mexicali Blues Teaneck, NJ Co -bill with Hot Buttered Rum String Band
Tuesday, October 18 State Theatre Falls Church, VA -with Hot Buttered Rum String Band to open
Wednesday, October 19 Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, NC -Late Nite After SCI
Thursday, October 20 Orange Peel Asheville, NC
Friday, October 21 Magnolia Fest Live Oak, FL
Saturday, October 22 Magnolia Fest Live Oak, FL
Monday, October 24 Gerogia Theatre Athens, GA
Tuesday, October 25 Newby’s Memphis, TV
Wednesday, October 26 George’s Majestic Lounge Fayetteville, AR
Friday, October 28 Last Concert Caf

Medeski, Martin & Wood has announced a series of October & early November dates. Beginning Oct. 14th, the versatile jazz trio will play on the Xingolati Cruise to be followed by a California and Arizona run. The band will head out east to play shows at the Hammerstein in NYC, Higher Groud in South Burlington, VT, Toad

Sound Tribe Sector 9 has set an Oct. 4 release date for the remix album “ARTiFact: Perspectives” via its own 1320 label. The 15-track set is highlighted by Slicker’s remix of “By the Morning Sun,” Richard Devine’s recasting of “Better Day/Trinocular,” Karsh Kale’s drum’n’bass version of “ReEmergence” and Mr. Lif’s take on “Possibilities.”

The original “ARTiFact” reached No. 12 on Billboard’s Top Electronic Albums chart. Look for the group on tour through the end of the year in North America, with two shows in Japan wedged in on Oct. 1 and 3. STS9 will close out 2005 with a Dec. 29-31 stand at Atlanta’s Tabernacle.

Source billboard.com.

Beginning with Pearl Jam

This fall, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals are planning to light up the night in at least 30 cities.

Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Potter is only 21, but she’s already amassed an intense following and critical acclaim for her incendiary live performances and two albums, 2004’s Original Soul and this year’s Nothing But The Water.

Throughout the rest of August and September, she and her band will mix their own headline dates with opening stints for Dave Matthews Band, North Mississippi Allstars, and Taj Mahal.

In October, Potter & Co. will appear at Cambridge, Mass.’ Harvard Square October Fest, and then play a week and a half’s worth of headlining dates in their home state of Vermont. They’ll hit theatres in seven cities October 14-23 and finish up in Waitfield, just “footsteps” away from the band’s home.

The trek is titled the Ben & Jerry’s Bringing It All Back Home Tour.

“We love Vermont and we love the support its communities have given us,” Potter said. “We wanted to design a tour that covered the state geographically, but more importantly, made stops in some of our favorite towns.”

In addition to fronting the band with her powerful pipes, Potter plays the Hammond B3 organ, Fender Rhodes, guitar and other instruments. She is joined by guitarist Scott Tournet, drummer/percussionist Matthew Burr and bassist Bryan Dondero.

Scottish popsters Belle and Sebastian are currently wrapping up the recording of their seventh album, The Goalkeeper’s Revenge, for a January release. The seven-piece outfit has spent the last several months working at Los Angeles’ Sunset Sound studios with Beck producer Tony Hoffer. The unique pairing came about after the famed studio technician courted the ensemble in their hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, earlier this year.

To read more visit rollingstone.com.