2006

Sonic Youth will release its next album, “Rather Ripped,” June 13 via Geffen. As previously reported, the 12-track set is the band’s first to not feature longtime collaborator Jim O’Rourke since 1998’s “A Thousand Leaves.” Sonic Youth will support the set via several July dates with Pearl Jam and is also eyeing a run with the Flaming Lips.

“Rather Ripped” kicks off with the Kim Gordon-sung rocker “Reena” and in general offers more of a concise attack than on recent, more jam-oriented releases such as “Murray Street” and “Sonic Nurse.” Gordon is more of a vocal presence as well, singing lead on five tracks, including the gentle “Turquoise Boy,” which is dirtied up with bursts of noise at its conclusion.

Other highlights include Thurston Moore’s propulsive “Incinerate,” which seems evolved from the Sonic Youth classic “Teenage Riot,” and the Lee Ranaldo-sung “Rats,” which blends a dark Gordon bass grove with thick sheets of guitar.

“Some of it seems to be an extension of the last couple of records, but some hearkens forward into territory and also back to earlier, more dissonant and atonal stuff we’ve done,” Ranaldo told Billboard.com last fall of the new material. “There’s definitely some rocking songs and also some sound piece-y kind of things that are pretty interesting as well.”

Here is the track list for “Rather Ripped”:

“Reena”
“Incinerate”
“Do You Believe in Rapture?”
“Sleepin’ Around”
“What a Waste”
“Jams Run Free”
“Rats”
“Turquoise Boy”
“Lights Out”
“The Neutral”
“Pink Steam”
“Or”

Source billboard.com.

Ben Harper has drafted Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley as the support act for his summer North American tour, which will begin Aug. 10 in Phoenix and run through Sept. 14 in Knoxville, Tenn. Marley will be replaced by an as-yet-unnamed “very special guest” at an Aug. 11-12 stand at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre.

Also included in the itinerary is a Sept. 5-6 run at Rumsey Playfield in New York’s Central Park as part of the annual SummerStage festival. Harper is touring in support of his new Virgin double album, “Both Sides of the Gun,” which was released March 21.

Before the North American shows, Harper has touring on tap in Australia, Japan and Europe. For a full list of dates, visit his official Web site.

Built To Spill has postponed a spring tour that was due to begin April 11 in Minneapolis to allow frontman Doug Martsch time to recover from a detached retina. The trek will resume June 9 in Calgary, Alberta, and run through Oct. 21 in Lubbock, Texas. For a full list of the new dates, visit the band’s MySpace.com page.

Built To Spill will release its new album, “You in Reverse,” April 11 via Warner Bros. Two new songs, the nine-minute opener “Goin’ Against Your Mind” and “Conventional Wisdom,” can be streamed from MySpace.com.

Source billboard.com.

Award-winning experimental trio Dreadnaught will perform at the Music Hall in Portsmouth NH with acclaimed author Dan Brown (THE DA VINCI CODE) on April 23, 2006. The show is the latest entry in the NHPR/Music Hall-sponsored

Husband-wife duo, The Dust Devils were honored in Linden, Texas this weekend by winning 4 of the 5 Texas Music Awards for which they were nominated. Dust Devils’ founders Kevin Higgins and Barbara Malteze were presented with: Song of the Year (Walk On) written by Kevin Higgins; Vocal Duo of the Year; Female Vocalist of the Year (Barbara Malteze); and Album of the Year (Gathering Dust).

The Dust Devils also contributed 2 songs to the CD which received the “Founder’s Award” for Musical Event of the Year; “A Hill Country Christmas,” (produced by Stephen & Sue Ann Meyer of the Lodge Recording Studio in Marble Falls), benefiting Candlelight Ranch, a retreat for children with special needs, www.CandlelightRanch.org

“We can’t tell you how surprised and honored we are by all the awards that were given out to us,” said Barbara Malteze, “it just hasn’t hit home yet.” Kevin Higgins added, “As we go through life on this musical journey doing what we love, it’s a wonderful thing to receive affirmations from our peers. This weekend, that road took us to Linden.”

To view a complete list of award recipients, (including photos and audio) visit mytexasmusic.com

The five members of Sound Tribe Sector 9 will leave their California homes this spring for another musical road trip, with concerts booked throughout much of the U.S.

The hard-touring band, which blends live instrumentation with laptop grooves, will launch its latest trek April 6 in Santa Ana, Calif. They’ll head through Arizona and Texas to the South, winding their way up the East Coast by late April.

STS9 looks to head home after a May 6 Detroit gig, but the group will be back onstage in June at the two-day Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, Calif., as well as the Wakarusa Music Festival in Lawrence, Kan.

The band released a new album, ARTiFACT, last year, but STS9 fans know studio recordings are only the tip of the iceberg. The group offers live downloads, including dozens of full concerts from its recent winter tour, on its official Web site, sts9.com.

Source pollstar.com.

Having recently performed in China for the first time ever, James Brown is ready for another round of blistering shows across the U.S. and Europe.

Backed by his nine-piece Soul General band and the General Sweet backup singers, the Godfather of Soul has dates booked throughout May from Oklahoma to New Jersey.

He’ll visit New York and Massachussetts in June before heading to Europe. Gigs are planned in half a dozen European countries, including an appearance at Ireland’s Oxegen Festival.

He’ll be back in the U.S. the following month, with a series of West Coast gigs planned into September. The last confirmed dates are mid-September shows in Missouri, Iowa and Indiana.

Source pollstar.com.