2006

With his second album of the year on the way, it’s obvious that Robert Pollard is taking his solo career seriously.
The prolific musician has shown no signs of slowing down since the dissolution of Guided By Voices, releasing From A Compound Eye in January and touring throughout spring.
Pollard’s latest album, Normal Happiness, is due out October 10 on Merge and he’ll embark on a brief tour in mid-November in support of it. He’ll be accompanied by his Ascended Masters band – Tommy Keene, Jon Wurster, Jason Narducy and Dave Philips.
Tour dates run from November 9-18, starting in Bloomington, Indiana, and finishing in Northampton, Mass.
As on the previous album, Pollard and producer Todd Tobias played all the instruments on Normal Happiness.

Source pollstar.com.

More than nine months after its originally scheduled release via Columbia, Nellie McKay’s sophomore album, “Pretty Little Head,” will finally arrive Oct. 31 on her own Hungry Mouse label. The 23-track, two-disc set, which will include a 44-page color booklet, will be marketed and manufactured by spinART Records, with distribution by Ryko.

As previously reported, McKay voluntarily left Columbia in late December, reportedly after both parties reached an impasse over the length of the project. McKay insisted the label release her 23-song, 65-minute version, while Columbia sent out promotional copies of a 16-song, 48-minute album, which was reviewed by several music magazines.

Source billboard.com.

2006 has been a great year in the Disco Biscuit’s 11 year history. They welcomed a talented new drummer, Allen Aucoin, into the Bisco fold and tour highlights included stops at the Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza Festivals as well as numerous tour dates and their highly successful Camp Bisco V which featured The Roots, Thievery Corporation and Brazilian Girls.

Now they announced some fall dates to continue to spread their unique musical smorgasbord style which fuses rock, electronic and classical music around the country. New Yorkers get to celebrate the Turkey Day holiday with some hot fresh Bisco.

10/19/06 Washington and Lee S&A Lexington, VA
10/31/06 Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA
11/01/06 State Theatre Ithaca, NY
11/02/06 Water Street Music Hall Rochester, NY
11/03/06 Calvin Theatre Northampton, MA
11/04/06 Sonar Baltimore, MD
11/09/06 The Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY
11/10/06 Bogart’s Cincinnati, OH
11/11/06 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
11/12/06 House Of Blues Cleveland, OH
11/14/06 Bluebird Bloomington, IN
11/15/06 Blue Note Columbia, MO
11/16/06 Canopy Club Urbana, IL
11/17/06 Grenada Lawrence, KS
11/18/06 Fillmore Denver, CO
11/19/06 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO
11/24/06 Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY
11/25/06 Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY

HeadCount, the non-partisan, non-profit voter registration organization run by grassroots-oriented musicians, fans and promoters announced that it has eclipsed its voter registration goals for the recent

Umphrey’s McGee’s always-epic New Year’s party was documented on the 2005 DVD release “Wrapped Around Chicago: New Year’s at the Riv.” This year, Chicago’s favorite rock band will return to the Aragon Ballroom for their New Year’s celebration, performing three nights with special guests: southern hipsters North Mississippi Allstars (December 29), East L.A. rockers Los Lobos (December 30), and world blues legend Taj Mahal (December 31). Show details are as follows:

The Aragon Ballroom, Chicago

Friday, December 29th @ 6:00pm (Doors @ 5:00pm)with very special guests North Mississippi AllstarsTickets: $32.50 / All Ages Welcome

Saturday, December 30th @ 7:00pm (Doors @ 6:00pm)Very special guests Los LobosTickets: $32.50 / 18 and over welcome

Sunday, December 31st @ 7:00pm (Doors @ 6:00pm)Very special guests Taj Mahal & the International Rhythm BandFeaturing Jeff Coffin (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones) and Mike “Mad Dog” Mavridoglou (formerly of Jazz Mandolin Project and Ray’s Music Exchange)Tickets: $65.00 / 18 and over Welcome

Look for Umphrey’s McGee on tour now, in support of Safety In Numbers. The current list of confirmed tour dates is as follows:

September 27 The Town Ballroom Buffalo NY
September 28 State Theatre Ithaca NY
September 29-30 Higher Ground Burlington VT
October 02 The Egg Albany NY
October 04 Toad’s Place New Haven CT
October 05 9:30 Club Washington D.C.
October 06 The Palladium Worcester MA
October 07 Electric Factory Philadelphia PA
October 18 The Showbox Seattle WA
October 19 Roseland Theatre Portland OR
October 20 Senator Theatre Chico CA
October 21 The Avalon Hollywood CA
October 23 House of Blues San Diego CA
October 24 The Catalyst Santa Cruz CA
October 25 House of Blues Anaheim CA
November 02-03 Barrymore Theatre Madison WI
November 04 Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee WI
November 08 Liberty Hall Lawrence KS
November 09 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa OK
November 10 The Granada Theatre Dallas TX
November 11 Stubb’s Austin TX
November 15 Bogart’s Cincinnati OH
November 16 Headliners Music Hall Louisville KY
November 17 The Tabernacle Atlanta GA
November 18 The Pageant St. Louis MO
December 01-02 Nokia Theatre Times Square New York NY
December 29-31 Aragon Ballroom Chicago IL
January 02-07 Jam Cruise 5 Ft Lauderdale FL

More dates to be announced soon.

For more information visit umphreys.com.

After a hugely successful inaugural event last year, Madison House, Anon Salon, and Peak Experience Productions will collaborate again for the Seventh Annual Sea of Dreams New Year’s Eve event in San Francisco on December 30th and 31st.

Like last year, cultural forces will unite for two freaky nights at the San Francisco’s Concourse Exhibition Center for the biggest New Year’s-weekend gathering on the west coast. Expect three stages hosting an incredible roster of live bands – plus cabaret and circus acts, DJs and dance collectives, performance troupes, and more. All set within multiple thematic environments, this event promises something for people of every tribe.

Musical acts performing on the three stages include the groundbreaking independent rock band The String Cheese Incident (playing two full sets each night), British nu-school breaks producer Tipper, revolutionary underground artist Bassnectar, modern day traveling minstrel DJ Mark Farina, the down-tempo trip-hop dance music of Lotus, live electronic hipsters Pnuma Trio and plenty of others still to be announced.

Performance troupe and dance collective participants include The Indigo Belly Dance, The Mystic Family Circus, Black and Blue Burlesque Anon Salon’s Circularious, and others. In addition to the stage performances, expect art encampments, novelty zones, installations, midnight spectacles, supergames, and everything. For complete line-up and details as they become available visit seaofdreamsnye.com.

Propelling the proceedings will be innovative entertainment booking and management company Madison House, and Portland, Oregon-based Peak Experience Productions. Both will join forces with long-time San Francisco art/event promoters Anon Salon (the co-creators of “Burning Man Decompression” and past “Sea of Dreams” NYE events).

Sea of Dreams is an epic costumed celebration of music, art and community. This colossal pageant weaves together a host of artistic communities to create a truly “emergent” cultural phenomenon. In the most unusual venue, with the most multi-faceted and unprecedented line-up ever, Sea of Dreams has altered the course of party history.

Sea of Dreams: 7 Heavens

December 30th and 31st
San Francisco Design Center’s Concourse Exhibition Center
635 8th Street (@ Brannan), San Francisco

30th / 7 pm – 2 am
31st / 7:30 pm – 4 am
Ages 18 and over welcome
Tickets available at seaofdreamsnye.com

ZILLA (featuring Michael Travis of The String Cheese Incident) will also perform a Sea of Dreams pre-party at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on December 29th. For tickets and information visit www.zillamusic.com.

For more information visit seaofdreamsnye.com