Archive: 2006

Gordon Stone Band was recently invited to play at the Hat Yai Midnight Songkran & World Musiq Festival in Thailand. From April 11-15th, the Gordon Stone Band will be bringing their own version of World Music; a blend of jazz flavored, groove-driven funk, and buoyant bluegrass to the Songkhla Province of Thailand.

For over 30 years Gordon Stone has been writing his genre-crossing music, and now attracts international attention with his latest configuration of musicians including, former band member, Caleb Bronz on drums, and UVM

Bonnaroo announced today the following additions to the Bonnaroo 2006 lineup:

Cypress Hill
Blackalicious
The Streets
Lyrics Born
deadboy & the Elephantmen
The Refugee All Stars
Electric Eel Shock

More announcements to the lineup will be made in the coming weeks. Complete festival information is available at bonnaroo.com

I never once thought that the kings of Irish punk/folk would regroup and play America, let alone in a place and time when I could see them. The last time I caught the whiskey bottle of a singer known as Shane MacGowan live, he was a bloody mess from falling down and being dragged off stage only 3 songs into his set with the Popes.

Photos by Jake Krolick of Ratdog at the Electric Factory in Philly on 3.24.06

This will be the album that will have longtime fans of the Devics bragging to newcomers that they liked them before they got popular, and have the Johnny-come-latelys scrambling to find their entire back catalog.

If you’re looking to find endless footage of the Rolling Thunder tours, one of Dylan

After several years of work, Paul Simon is finally ready to share his long-awaited collaboration with producer Brian Eno (U2, Talking Heads) with the listening public. The 11-track project, dubbed “Surprise,” will be released May 9 in North America via Warner Bros. and a day earlier internationally.

Among the songs set to appear on “Surprise” are “Sons and Daughters,” “How Can You Live in the Northeast,” “Outrageous” and “Father and Daughter,” Simon’s contribution to 2002’s “The Wild Thornberrys Movie” which was nominated for the best original song Academy Award.

Guest appearances include guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Steve Gadd and pianist Herbie Hancock, whose 2005 album, “Possibilities,” featured a new recording with Simon of the latter’s “I Do It for Your Love.”

Source billboard.com.

Cho On Tour Razor-tongued funny woman Margaret Cho has shows planned in more than a dozen cities over the next few months, starting with Palm Springs, Calif., March 31.

She’ll make three stops in Florida in April, along with shows in New York, Indiana and California. Just one gig is booked for May, but she has several dates lined up in June and July at comedy clubs and theatres.

As political as ever, Cho recently performed at the Bring ‘Em Home Now! concert at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom, along with a long list of artists including Bright Eyes, Rufus Wainwright, Fischerspooner, Devendra Banhart, Peaches and surprise guest Moby.

Source pollstar.com.

Def Leppard and Journey are teaming up for a 34-date co-headlining run through North American amphitheatres, starting June 23 in Camden, N.J.
The tour, presented by VH1 Classic and Live Nation, will run for more than two months, finishing August 31 at the White River Amphitheatre near Seattle. More dates are to be added.

Source: pollstar

Beck has slowly begun announcing appearances at summer European festivals. He will also join Radiohead for an Aug. 22 show in Edinburgh, a pairing that is expected to be repeated several times this summer, with details to be announced.

For now, Beck’s lone North American dates are a May 27 show with the Decemberists in Bend, Ore., and appearances at the Sasquatch! festival in George, Wash. (May 28) and the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tenn. (June 17).

Beck is touring in support of his 2005 album, “Guero,” which debuted at a career-best No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 786,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Here are Beck’s tour dates:

May 27: Bend, Ore. (Schwab Amphitheatre)
May 28: George, Wash. (Sasquatch! festival)

June 17: Manchester, Tenn. (Bonnaroo festival)
Aug. 12: Oslo (Oya festival)
Aug. 13: Skanderborg, Denmark (Smukkeste Festival)
Aug. 19-20: Chelmsford/Staffordshire, England (V festival)
Aug. 22: Edinburgh (Meadow Bank Stadium; w/ Radiohead)

Source billboard.com.

The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest

In this mystery meat pot-roast of goth-industrial-futurepop sub-Bjorkings, Ex-Swan Jarboe presents the most hiply presentable slices of her life over the past six years

I have certain expectations when entering a concert, I've mentioned that before. But when it comes to a Wilco show, I tend to throw that out the window. Though I've only seen the band four times now, I can say I've seen a different band each time. Sometimes its the parts of the band itself that vary and other times its the emotion, the setlist, or the Tweedy. I mean which Jeff will be out there. Funloving Jeff thats incredibly chatty, or focused Jeff that rifles through 15 songs like nobody's business. I like them both for the record. Friday nights show at the historical Ryman was a standout performance though I must say.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

The newest six-song, self-titled EP from Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday is stark, powerful and provocative. It lacks studio glitz and a perfect vocal performance, yet that may just be what gives it such personality and edge.

With the pre-show press releases touting David Wilcox as the next best thing to James Taylor and Bob Dylan, this reviewer went to his recent show at Seattle’s Triple Door with high expectations. Fortunately, the comparisons proved apt.