February 3, 2006

Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand are celebrating the arrival of spring with a major co-headlining North American concert tour. Slated to kick off on March 22nd in Portland, Oregon, this incredible pairing of these two bands will be THE TOUR of the Spring. The tour will be presented by Fuse in partnership with MySpace.

Tour Dates

3-22 Portland, OR – Memorial Coliseum
3-23 Sacramento, CA – Memorial Hall at Sacramento Convention Center
3-24 Reno, NV – Reno Hilton Pavillion
3-27 Tucson, AZ – Centennial Hall at University of Arizona
3-29 Austin, TX – The Backyard
3-30 Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theater
3-31 Grand Prairie, TX – Nokia Theatre
4-07 Durham, NC – Cameron Stadium at Duke University
4-08 Camden, NJ – Tweeter Center Indoors
4-09 Ithaca, NY – Barton Hall at Cornell University
4-11 Washington, DC – Constitution Hall
4-12 Boston, MA – Agannis Arena
4-13 New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
4-14 New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
4-15 Montreal, Quebec – Cepsum at University of Montreal
4-17 Toronto, Ontario – The Docks
4-18 Detroit, MI – State Theatre
4-19 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
4-20 St Paul, MN – Northrop Auditorum at University of Minnesota
4-23 Winnipeg, Manitoba – Burton Cummings Theatre
4-25 Edmonton, Alberta – Shaw Conference Centre
4-26 Calgary, Alberta – Stampede Corral

Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, will be delivering his third studio album this spring on April 25th on Vice Records. “The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living” is a completely autobiographical record that covers various things that have happened to Mike over the past few years since he’s become a well known figure in the UK – there’s love, loss, scandal, violence, sex, drugs and a whole load of bad behavior and regret. It’s a true story. It’s not a ‘story’ record like his last LP, but the thread of Mike’s reality runs through every song.

Philadelphia-based band The Disco Biscuits are gearing up for the release of their double live album The Wind at Four to Fly to be released on SCI Fidelity Records on April 18. The band has returned to being a quartet with the addition of their new drummer Allen Aucoin. The auditioning process was lengthy but they found that Aucoin jumped straight in, meshing with the Biscuits’ in the groove, solid feeling called BISCO.

The Disco Biscuits are back in fine form after the departure of Sam Altman and a hiatus and are ready to greet the New Year with cross country touring and a wildly diverse live album. The first leg of the tour takes the band to the South East U.S. with many more dates to be announced in the near future.

Tour Dates

4/13/06 Higher Ground Burlington, VT
4/14/06 Higher Ground Burlington, VT
4/15/06 Higher Ground Burlington, VT
4/18/06 Starr Hill Charlottesville, VA
4/19/06 Rox Nightclub Wilmington, NC
4/20/06 Lincoln Theatre Raleigh, NC
4/21/06 Lincoln Theatre Raleigh, NC
4/22/06 Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, NC
4/23/06 Orange Peel Asheville NC
4/26/06 TBA TBA
4/27/06 Earthlink Live Atlanta, GA
4/28/06 Georgia Theatre Athens, GA
4/29/06 Georgia Theatre Athens, GA

In the clearest sign yet that Billy Corgan is moving ahead with his plan to revive seminal alternative rock act Smashing Pumpkins, sources say the group has signed a new management deal with Jared Paul and Paul Geary at the Irving Azoff-helmed Front Line Management.

Billboard.com has learned that Corgan and Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin will initially begin work on a new studio album, the first under the group name since the original Pumpkins’ 2000 swan song, “MACHINA/the machines of god.” When asked for comment, a Corgan spokesperson said there was no information to report at present.

It is understood that at this point, original members James Iha (guitar) and D’arcy Wretzky (bass) are not participating in the reunion, but sources say multi-instrumentalist Billy Mohler will be involved in some fashion. Mohler formerly played bass in pop/rock act the Calling and was a featured contributor on Chamberlin’s 2005 solo album, “Life Begins Again.”

Source billboard.com.

Following a foray into wine, the estate of Jerry Garcia has licensed the late Grateful Dead guitarist’s name to a limited edition line of tea. Five blends of J. Garcia Artisan Teas will be available beginning March 1 from premium tea company the Republic of Tea.

Like the wines marketed by Clos du Bois, each J. Garcia Artisan Teas package will feature original artwork by the artist from a collection of more than 500 pieces created before his death in 1995. A portion of the proceeds from the teas will be donated to Draw Bridge, a non-profit organization that provides art programs for children in homeless shelters.

The first set of teas is made up of Morning Brew (black tea), Jerry Cherry (black tea, essence of Bing cherries and vanilla), Shady Grown (blend of Brazilian Yerba Mate and South African Rooibos with cinnamon and vanilla), Magic Herb Blend (caffeine-free, orange and peppermint) and Spirit of Sage (green tea with sage).

Source billboard.com.