2005

Guitarist Bill Frisell captures two trio performances on an upcoming live album, “East/West.” Due Aug. 9 via Nonesuch, the double-disc chronicles a set with drummer Kenny Wolleson and bassist Tony Scherr at New York’s Village Vanguard, as well as a show with Wolleson and bassist Viktor Krauss at Yoshi’s in Oakland, Calif.

Beyond covers of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” the “West” disc sports such Frisell originals as “Blues for Los Angeles,” “Boubacar” and “Pipe Down.”

“East” rounds up originals like “Ron Carter” and “The Vanguard” alongside covers of Henry Mancini’s “The Days of Wine and Roses,” Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene,” Johnny Cash’s “Tennessee Flat Top Box” and George and Ira Gershwin’s “My Man’s Gone Now.”

Nonesuch is planning to make second sets from both performances available as a special download, but specific details have yet to be confirmed.

The always-busy Frisell has tour dates lined up in various incarnations through early 2006, and will next play the Winnipeg Folk Festival Thursday (July 7) and Friday with violinist Jenny Scheinman, guitarist Greg Leisz and banjo player Danny Barnes.

Frisell has also recorded a new album with multi-instrumentalist Petra Haden, due in October via Sovereign Artists. The set features interpretations of the Foo Fighters’ “Floaty,” Coldplay’s “Yellow,” Elliott Smith’s “Satellite,” Stevie Wonder’s “I Believe” and Tom Waits’ “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up,” among others.

Of perhaps most interest to fans is Frisell’s contribution to Paul Simon’s long-in-the-works new album, but no release date has been announced for the Warner Bros. set, which is being produced by Brian Eno.

Here is the track list for “East/West”:

Disc one (“West”):
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
“Blues for Los Angeles”
“Shenandoah”
“Boubacar”
“Pipe Down”
“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”

Disc two (“East”):
“My Man’s Gone Now”
“The Days of Wine and Roses”
“You Can Run”
“Ron Carter”
“Interlude”
“Goodnight Irene”
“The Vanguard”
“People”
“Crazy”
“Tennessee Flat Top Box”

]i] Source billboard.com.

Jay Kay is planning an explosive fall return for his pop/dance/funk outfit Jamiroquai. “Dynamite,” the U.K.-based group’s sixth studio album, and first in four years, is due Sept. 20 in the United States via Epic.

The set was released June 20 by Sony Music in the United Kingdom, where lead single “Feels Like It Should” bowed at No. 8 on the official singles chart. Though the album saw a strong debut last week at No. 3, it has the dubious honor of being the first Jamiroquai title not to bow in one of the U.K. album chart’s top two positions.

“Feels Just Like It Should” will also be the first U.S. single from the disc. The Joseph Kahn (U2, Black Eyed Peas) -directed video — and its “making of” featurette — will appear on a Dual Disc version of the title, along with “a collection of various eye and ear candy,” according to Epic.

“The groove in that song is absolutely filthy,” Kay says of the single. “If you haven’t released an album in four years, you want to return with an impact. This song says ‘I’m back with a vengeance.'”

The material on “Dynamite” was recorded in Spain, Italy, Costa Rica, Scotland, New York, Los Angeles and Kay’s own Buckinghamshire, England, studio, and produced by Mike Spencer (Kylie Minogue, Appleton). Other songs on the 12-track album include “Black Devil Car” and Seven Days in Sunny June.”

“Jamiroquai plays Vienna on Saturday (July 9), with stops throughout Europe scheduled into mid-August. A second European leg of dates is planned for September and October, opening Sept. 7 in Birmingham, England. A U.S. visit is being eyed for later in the year.

Here is the “Dynamite” track list:
“Feels Just Like It Should”
“Dynamite”
“Seven Days in Sunny June”
“Electric Mistress”
“Starchild”
“Love Blind”
“Talulah”
“(Don’t) Give Hate a Chance”
“World That He Wants”
“Black Devil Car”
“Hot Tequila Brown”
“Time Won’t”

Source billboard.com.

Icelandic rock act Sigur Ros is eyeing a September release for its as-yet-untitled new album. According to the band’s official Web site, the 11-track set is sung mostly in Sigur Ros’ native tongue; frontman Jonsi Thor Birgisson has previously sung in his own language, “Hopelandish.” It will be released internationally by EMI and in North America via Geffen.

The site says “Gong” and “Milano” are the lone tracks that have previously been performed live. The as-yet-unnamed first single from the album is expected to hit digital download retailers in August.

A one-off show in Hawaii is scheduled for Aug. 9, about a month before a North American tour opens Sept. 6 in Atlanta.

Here are Sigur Ros’ tour dates:

July 8: Glasgow (Academy)
July 9: Manchester, England (Lowry Theatre)
July 10: London (Somerset House)
July 12: Paris (Olympia)
July 13: Amsterdam (Paradiso)
July 14: Brussels (Cirque Royal)
July 16: Copenhagen (Vega)
July 17: Hamburg (Stadtpark)
July 19: Frankfurt (Jahrhunderthalle)
July 20: Berlin (Columbiahalle)
July 22: Munich (Circus Krone)
July 23: Nyon, Switzerland (Paleo Festival)
July 25: Rome (Cavea Auditorium)
July 26: Milan (Villa Arconati)
July 31: Naeba, Japan (Fuji Rock Festival)
Aug. 3: Melbourne (Hamer Hall)
Aug. 4: Sydney (the Enmore)
Aug. 5: Brisbane, Australia (Tivoli)
Aug. 9: Honolulu (Hawaii Theatre)
Sept. 6: Atlanta (Symphony Hall)
Sept. 7: Durham, N.C. (Carolina Theatre)
Sept. 9: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)
Sept. 11: Strathmore, Md. (Music Center)
Sept. 12-13: New York (Beacon Theatre)
Sept. 15: Boston (Opera House)
Sept. 16: Montreal (Theatre Masionneeuve)
Sept. 18: Ottawa, Ont. (TBA)
Sept. 19: Toronto (Massey Hall)
Sept. 20: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Theatre)
Sept. 21: Chicago (Chicago Theatre)
Sept. 23: Madison, Wis. (Orpheum Theatre)
Sept. 24: Minneapolis (State Theatre)
Sept. 27: Vancouver (Orpheum Theatre)
Sept. 28: Seattle (Paramount Theatre)
Sept. 29: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theatre)
Oct. 1: Oakland, Calif. (Paramount Theatre)
Oct. 3: San Diego (Copley Symphony Hall)
Oct. 5: Los Angeles (Hollywood Bowl)
Oct. 6: Las Vegas (the Joint)

Source billboard.com.

After a successful run as the main support act for Hot Hot Heat, Robbers on High Street have confirmed a Summer tour with Detroit songwriter Brendan Benson, which will kick off July 26th at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre. The band also looks forward to being featured on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition on Sunday, July 17th (air times will vary in different regions). In addition, the band’s song “Love Underground” will be featured on THE WEDDING CRASHERS ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK.

Since the release of the band’s album TREE CITY in February 2005, the band has been hailed for their melodically inventive songwriting and their full, dynamic arrangements using strings and horns. Along with Alternative Press, Blender, The Washington Post, Nylon, Billboard and many others, Rolling Stone raved that TREE CITY is “A smart rock debut [with] wry, whip-smart lyrics and piano-driven melodies.”

Brendan Benson Tourdates are as follow. Many more to be announced shortly:

July 15: Mercury Lounge (Robbers headline, Not with BB)
July 21: Indianapolis, IN: Vogue Theatre/Midwest Music Summit (not with BB)

With Brendan Benson:
July 26: Los Angeles, CA: El Rey
July 27: San Diego, CA: The Casbah
July 28: Tempe, AZ: Clubhouse
July 30: Denver, CO: Larimer Lounge
August 1: Minneapolis, MN: 400 Bar
August 3: St. Louis, MO: Blueberry Hill
August 4: Indianapolis, IN: Birdy;s
August 5: Newport, KY (Cincinnati, OH): Southgate House
August 6: Chicago, IL: Metro

The Arcade Fire, !!!, Blackalicious, Nouvelle Vague, Annie, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Wrens, Kaki King and Atmosphere are among the first acts confirmed for the 25th annual CMJ Music Marathon, which will be held Sept. 14-17 throughout venues in New York.

Other artists who have signed on to perform are the Hold Steady, Dungen, John Vanderslice, Against Me!, the Constantines, Battles, Kinski, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Rogue Wave, Early Man, Channels, Dirty On Purpose, Walking Concert, Athlete, Acid Mothers Temple and Funeral For A Friend.

Day-time panel discussions, which will be held at Lincoln Center, will focus on everything from securing sponsorship deals and health insurance to the impact of blogging and podcasting on the music industry.

Source billboard.com.

Arizona-based rock act Calexico is at work on its next studio album, which should be out in the spring of 2006 via Touch & Go. “We did some work here in Tucson earlier this summer,” group member Joey Burns tells Billboard.com. “We’ll probably meet up again in August when we get back from doing European festivals.”

The group worked with producer J.D. Foster, who has worked with everyone from Dwight Yoakam and Marc Ribot to Nancy Sinatra and Alejandro Escovedo. Tracks being eyed for the set include “Bisbee Blue,” “All Systems Red,” “Deep Down” and “Lucky Dime.”

“The songs have that moodiness and ambience, but there’s also some more electric, rockin’ numbers,” Burns says of the new material, some of which Calexico will unveil during a spate of summer shows, which begin July 14 in New York.

The as-yet-untitled album will be the follow-up to 2003’s “Feast of Wire,” which debuted at a career-best No. 23 on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart. An EP, “Convict Pool,” was issued last year, led by a cover of Love’s “Alone Again Or.”

“That cover worked out really well for us,” Burns says. “We were playing that song and covering it all last summer while [Love leader] Arthur [Lee] was touring with the Love reunion. We just kept missing each other, but we kept hearing reports of people who had seen him. We never ran into him. If he’s still living in Los Angeles, I’m sure we’ll cross paths at some point.”

In between the new Calexico album and a previously reported collaborative EP with Iron & Wine, Burns and drummer John Convertino have also contributed to singer/songwriter Neko Case’s upcoming Anti- album.

Here are Calexico’s tour dates:

July 14: New York (Castle Clinton/Battery Park)
July 16: Ottawa, Ontario (Cisco Systems Bluesfest)
July 17: Quebec City, Quebec (Festival D’Ete International)
July 20: Antwerp, Belgium (Rivierenhof)
July 21: Duisburg, Germany (World Games Plaza)
July 22: Lorrach, Germany (Marktplatz)
July 23: Jacetano, Spain (El Pireneus del Sur Festival)
July 27: Berlin (Popdeurope Festival)
July 28: Wien, Austria (Jazzfest)
July 29: Nurenberg, Germany (Bardentreffen)
July 30: Feldkirch, Austria (Poolbar Festival)
July 31: Roseto, Italy (Soundlab Festival)
Aug. 2: Alberobello, Italy (Experimenta Festival)
Aug. 3: Pula, Croatia (Open Air)
Aug. 5: Creete, Greece (Amphitheatre)

Source billboard.com.