2006

The Clientele have just announced new US Tour dates as they continue working on new material.

dates listed:

08.02.2006 Philadelphia PA First Unitarian Church
08.03.2006 Arlington VA IOTA Club & Cafe
08.04.2006 Chapel Hill NC Local 506
08.05.2006 Mt. Pleasant SC Village Tavern
08.06.2006 Atlanta GA The Earl
08.08.2006 Nashville TN The Basement
08.10.2006 Baton Rouge LA Red Star Bar
08.11.2006 Houston TX Walters on Washington
08.12.2006 Denton TX Hailey’s
08.13.2006 Austin TX The Parish
08.16.2006 Tucson AZ Club Congress
08.17.2006 Phoenix AZ Rhythm Room
08.18.2006 San Diego CA The Casbah
08.19.2006 Los Angeles CA The Knitting Factory
08.21.2006 Visalia CA Howie and Son’s
08.22.2006 San Francisco CA Cafe Du Nord
08.24.2006 Portland OR Doug Fir
08.26.2006 Seattle WA Chop Suey
08.29.2006 Minneapolis MN 400 Bar
08.30.2006 Chicago IL The Abbey
08.31.2006 Detroit MI Magic Stick
09.01.2006 Cleveland OH Grog Shop
09.02.2006 Buffalo NY Mohawk Place
09.05.2006 New York NY Knitting Factory

The Mars Volta returns with a fresh dose of epic rock’n’roll on its third studio album, “Amputechture.” The eight-track set is due Aug. 22 via Universal and opens with the seven-minute “Vicarious Atonement,” the closest the group has ever come to a ballad.

The album then moves back to familiar expansive musical territory on the nearly 17-minute “Tetragrammaton,” and also features two other tracks that clock in past the 11-minute mark, “Meccamputechture” and “Day of the Baphomets.” The disc itself runs more than 76 minutes in length.

In addition to contributions from Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, “Amputechture” also features Paul Hinojos’ first studio work with the Mars Volta since joining as a touring musician in 2005. Hinojos previously played with Mars Volta principals Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez in At The Drive-In.

“Amputechture” is the follow-up to 2005’s “Frances the Mute,” which debuted at a career-best No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and has sold nearly 465,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The Mars Volta will support the Red Hot Chili Peppers on its upcoming North American tour, which opens Aug. 11 in Portland, Ore.

Here is the track list for “Amputechture”:

“Vicarious Atonement”
“Tetragrammaton”
“Vermicide”
“Meccamputechture”
“Asilos Magdalena”
“Viscera Eyes”
“Day of the Baphomets”
“El Ciervo Vulnerado”

Source billboard.com.

Billionaire Richard Branson rappelled from a helicopter at Toronto’s waterfront today to announce a rock festival for Canada’s most populous city this fall. The flamboyant British businessman, who is chairman of Virgin Group, said he’s bringing the Virgin Festival to Toronto’s Island Park on Sept. 9-10.

“Our roots are music,” Branson, dressed in a subdued black promotional T-shirt and blue jeans, told a news conference. “Fortunately, we spent a number of years in Britain practicing on the Brits before we came here.”

The Toronto event, which Branson hopes will attract 50,000 fans, will feature more than 40 acts, including Massive Attack, Flaming Lips and Gnarls Barkley, the Raconteurs, Phoenix, Wolfmother, the Dears, Alexisonfire, Sam Roberts Band and Zero 7.

The festival is the latest foray into the Canadian market for Branson, who launched his Virgin Mobile Canada last year. He said Virgin Mobile has some 250,000 subscribers now and he expects that to grow to 400,000 by the end of the year as the company opens sales kiosks across Canada.

A U.S. edition of the festival will be held Sept. 23 at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, home of the Preakness Stakes. The Red Hot Chili Peppers will anchor the lineup, which will be announced in full on July 10.

Source billboard.com.

The Who’s Sunday (July 2) concert at London’s Hyde Park will be broadcast live via the Web and at Hard Rock Cafes in New York, Chicago, Orlando, Hollywood, Fla., Hollywood Ca., Rome, Barcelona and Paris. The Webcast will also be available for a 99 cent download at Thewholive.tv, with all proceeds going toward Pete Townshend’s Double O charity.

The band, which is currently on the European leg of its tour, has made several tracks from each show available on the Web, but the Hyde Park date will mark the first time an entire live set has been offered.

As previously reported, the Who’s new mini-opera, “xx,” is set for release July 10, and a new studio album is currently in the works.

Source billboard.com.

Akron, Ohio-based rock duo the Black Keys will kick off a fall tour Sept. 6 in Seattle. A European run is sandwiched between two North American legs, which will find the group headlining its biggest venues in such cities as New York (the 2,100-capacity Nokia Theatre) and Philadelphia (the similarly sized Electric Factory).

Having just completed a six-date swing opening for Radiohead, the Black Keys will be touring in support of their fourth studio album, “Magic Potion,” due Sept. 12 as the first in a new deal with Nonesuch.

Whereas 2004’s “Rubber Factory” was named after the converted facility in downtown Akron where it was recorded, the new album was put to tape in drummer Patrick Carney’s home studio. There are plenty of showcases for the duo’s punchy riff-driven interplay, including “Your Touch,” “Give Your Heart Away” and “Modern Times.” But the group also delves into the slower side of the blues on “You’re the One” and the simmering “The Flame,” where frontman Dan Auerbach pleads, “This time I can’t go back / When a heart gets broken as many times / It’s easy to lose track.”

Here are the Black Keys’ tour dates:

Sept. 6: Seattle (Showbox)
Sept. 7: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theatre)

Sept. 9: San Francisco (Fillmore)
Sept. 13: Los Angeles (Troubadour)
Sept. 14: Hollywood, Calif. (Avalon)
Sept. 15: San Diego (House of Blues)
Sept. 16: Tempe, Ariz. (Marquee Theatre)
Sept. 23: Berlin (Wuhlheide)
Sept. 25: Dublin (Ireland Music Centre)
Sept. 26: Glasgow (ABC)
Sept. 27: Newcastle, England (Northumbria University)
Sept. 28: Leeds, England (Cockpit)
Sept. 30: Birmingham, England (Academy)
Oct. 1: Bristol, England (Bristol University)
Oct. 2: Manchester, England (Manchester University)
Oct. 4: London (Forum)
Oct. 5: Paris (Trabendo)
Oct. 6: Amsterdam (Melkweg)
Oct. 7: Utrecht, Holland (Doornrsje)
Oct. 9: Brussels (AB Box)
Oct. 10: Cologne, Germany (Prime Club)
Oct. 11: Hamburg (Knust)
Nov. 2: Boston (Avalon Ballroom)
Nov. 3: New York (Nokia Theatre)
Nov. 4: Philadelphia (Electric Factory)
Nov. 5-6: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)

Source billboard.com.

moe. has announced a list of additional artists set to perform at their end of summer festival, moe.down – to be held September 1-3 in Turin, NY. Fresh off a mini tour and Bonnaroo appearance, Mike Gordon will bring Ramble Dove along, and Banyan featuring Stephen Perkins will also play the event. But the debut of a new five-piece, including Page McConnell, Jon Fishman, Adam Zimmon, Bob O’Dea and Jared Slomoff is raising the most eyebrows. With 3/4 of the now defunct Phish performing, attendance is sure to increase over past years.

Other bands scheduled to appear are:
Umphrey’s Mcgee
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
The Avett Brothers
U-Melt
Toubab Krewe
Pat McClimans Group
Before Cowboys
Mike Rocklin
with more bands to be announced.

Tickets are on sale now at moe.ticketing