Tools around Los Angeles with Miles Davis, too!

By Fred Mills

Los Angeles Times pop critic Ann Powers is reporting in her blog that this week she "received the Golden Ticket of journalist ic invitation s": a chance to interview Prince at his L.A. mansion. She spent 5 hours hanging out, observing and riding around and talking with the elusive, reclusive artist (among the side tidbits he revealed to her: one of his favorite cars is named "Miles Davis," and that he did not vote in favor of Prop 8 during the recent election since as a Jehovah's Witness he doesn't vote at all).

The main news, however, is that he's readying three full-lengt h albums for release this year and is currently in "final negotiatio ns with a major retailer" to distribute the product, no doubt hammering out a deal with Wal-Mart (who had great success with AC/DC last year), Best Buy (who flubbed its Guns N' Rosed deal), or, I dunno, Victoria's Secret (which makes the most sense of all for a lapsed pussyhound s like Prince).

The first CD is billed as "an electro-fl avored solo effort" tentativel y titled MPLSOUND, which is also the name of his recently-e stablished guerilla website where he previewed a new song a couple of weeks ago.

Then there's Lotus Plant, a more "varied" and guitar-cen tric album, which was recently previewed on local radio station Indie 103.1. Lastly, he's got a record by his latest prot&eacut e;gé ; (described by Powers as "comely" - ain't all his prot&eacut e;gé ;s thus!), Bria Valente, titled Elixir, and described as alternatel y "chill" and "nasty."

Well, all right then!

Peekin' again at the Beacon for the Allman Brothers, first tour in 5 years for the Dead.

By Blurt Staff

Okay, crusties, twirlie girls and aficionado s of all things jammy: this new item's for you. (Memo to BLURT fave Warren Haynes: get some rest between those itinerarie s.) Read on....

***

After months of fan speculatio n bolstered by an October 2008 performanc e at the "Change Rocks" concert/ra lly for Barack Obama in State College, PA and three recent viral internet videos with band interviews and performanc e footage, the DEAD today officially announced tour dates for 2009.  This marks their first trek since 2004's "Wave That Flag" tour.

Kicking off April 12 in Greensboro , NC and wrapping May 10 near San Francisco, the tour will encompass 19 shows--all to be performed as "An Evening With"--in 16 cities.  Pre-sale tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 13 and nationwide beginning Friday, January 23.  All the concerts are set for indoor arenas except for the final show at Shoreline Amphitheat re in Mountain View, CA.

Original Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart will be joined by keyboardis t Jeff Chimenti and Allman Brothers Band/Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, both of whom played with the band at the "Change Rocks" concert. The group first formed with lead guitarist Jerry Garcia as the Grateful Dead in 1965 and are legendary for their live performanc es.  The Grammy-win ning Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group always toured relentless ly, allowing their "Dead Head" fans to tape and trade their explorator y, free-flowi ng concerts.

"We've got some unfinished business," says guitarist/ singer Bob Weir.  "Everybody has a whole new bag of tricks; we have the body of material we worked up over the years and we have a mind meld going on here and it would be a sin to let that just wither and die."  Drummer Mickey Hart adds, "A mind meld is a terrible thing to waste." Bassist Phil Lesh says, "For me, it's the question mark that's really pulling me in...what's gonna happen?&nb sp; When you walk out on the stage the possibilit ies are infinite every time.  The musical possibilit ies are infinite: there is no end to it, there's no back wall and there's no ceiling, there's no floor.  It's infinite and therefore you can still explore it till the day that you die."  Drummer Bill Kreutzmann says, "I get goose bumps just thinking about the possibilit ies."

Seeds of the idea of touring again were first planted in February of this year when Hart, Lesh and Weir played a "Dead Heads For Obama" show at the Warfield in their native San Francisco, and last year Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart performed at a post-inaug uration for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Always sonic and technologi cal adventurer s, the Grateful Dead formed in San Francisco' s electric Haight-Ash bury neighborho od in the mid-&lsquo ;60s, combining their love of bluegrass, country, electric rock and jazz to create one of the most iconic repertoire s in rock music.  By touring continuous ly and never relying on radio hits or latest trends, the Dead and Dead Heads created an unparallel ed bond.  Fans were turned on to the group by live bootlegs and word of mouth, with many following the band on the road for whole tours. 

For more informatio n, go to www.dead.net or www.Dead.Net/Dead09 .

Date:  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  City:  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ;  Venue:

Sun 4/12   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Greensboro , NC &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Greensboro Coliseum

Tue 4/14   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Washington , DC &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Verizon Center

Wed 4/15   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Charlottes ville, VA &n bsp;  John Paul Jones Arena

Fri 4/17   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Albany, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Times Union Center

Sat 4/18   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Worcester, MA &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    DCU Center

Sun 4/19   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Worcester, MA &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    DCU Center

Tue 4/21   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Buffalo, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  HSBC Arena

Wed 4/22   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Wilkes-Bar re, PA &n bsp;   &nbs p; Wachovia Arena @ Casey Plaza

Fri 4/24   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Uniondale, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Nassau Coliseum

Sat 4/25   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; New York, NY Madison Square Garden

Sun 4/26   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Hartford, CT &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    XL Center

Tue 4/28   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; E. Rutherford , NJ &n bsp;   &nbs p;  IZOD Center

Wed 4/29   &nbs p; &n bsp;  E. Rutherford , NJ &n bsp;   &nbs p;  IZOD Center

Fri 5/1 & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; Philadelph ia, PA &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Wachovia Spectrum

Sat 5/2 & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  Philadelph ia, PA &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Wachovia Spectrum

Tue 5/5 & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; Chicago, IL &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; All State Arena

Thu 5/7 & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; Denver, CO &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Pepsi Center

Sat 5/9  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Los Angeles, CA &n bsp;   &nbs p;  The Forum

Sun 5/10   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Mountain View, CA &n bsp;   &nbs p; Shoreline Amphitheat er

Meanwhile, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND--hono red this past November with Billboard magazine's "Legends of Live" award--wil l celebrate their 40^th anniversar y in 2009 the best way they know how: on stage and on the road.  Rock 's definitive live performanc e act have confirmed they will kick off the year with 10 shows at New York City's newly-reno vated Beacon Theatre, where they've played 175 times since 1989 and establishe d the most acclaimed and longest-ru nning residency in rock and roll.  Ticket informatio n will be announced in mid-Januar y.

The group--GRE GG ALLMAN (vocals and keyboards) , BUTCH TRUCKS (drums and tympani), JAIMOE (drums), WARREN HAYNES (vocals, lead and slide guitar), DEREK TRUCKS (slide and lead guitar), OTEIL BURBRIDGE (bass) and MARC QUINONES (congas and percussion )-will, as usual welcome many special guest musicians at the Beacon.  "I'd love to tell you what we have planned," ALLMAN recently told Billboard, "but it's just kick-ass, that's all I can tell you."

Check out www.allmanbrot hersband.com for the latest news.

Date:  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  City:  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ;  Venue:

Mon 3/9 & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ;  New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Tue 3/10   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Thu 3/12  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Fri 3/13   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Sat 3/14   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Mon 3/16   &nbs p; &n bsp;    New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Tue 3/17   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Thu 3/19  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Fri 3/20  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Sat 3/21  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  New York, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Beacon Theatre

Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?

By Fred Mills

Billboard is reporting that Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III - one of BLURT's Top 50 albums of the year, incidental ly - was 2008's biggest-se lling release, selling according to SoundScan 2.88 million copies. The news comes with a caveat, however: according to the report, "it's the first time the best selling album of the year has sold less than 3 million," tangible evidence that the music industry isn't just in decline, it's in the toilet.

Following Lil Wayne:

Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, 2.15 million

Taylor Swift - Fearless, 2.1l million

Kid Rock - Rock N [sic] Roll Jesus, 2 million

AC/DC - Black Ice, 1.92 million

Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift, 1.6 million

Metallica -Death Magnetic, 1.57 million

T.I. - Paper Trail, 1.52 million

Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static, 1.5 million

Beyonce - I Am... Sasha Fierce, 1.46 million

The report goes on to point that sales are down by about 14. 4%, with 428.4 million albums sold overall in 2008 compared to 500.5 million in 2007. (Cue up another "in the toilet" comment.... But hey, if you sell turds, what do you expect?) There are a bunch of other eye-blurri ng statistics in the report - among them, if you can dig it, a note that sales of vinyl albums were higher than in any other calendar year since SoundScan began tracking back in 1991 - but none of them are particular enlighteni ng and/or sobering.

To quote a horrible clich&eacu te;, the music industry is what it is, and all the hand-wring ing is a day late and a dollar short (to quote another horrible clich&eacu te;). No one has bothered to point out that the whole goddam economy is also in the toilet and people are losing their jobs and their houses, so when you hear another record label exec bemoan the current state of recorded music sales, think about how much he and his posse netted from those nearly-thr ee-million sales for Lil Wayne compared to what you and your neighbor took home in 2008. I lost my job last year too, a decent paying one at that, largely due to downturns in the music industry, but I didn't sit around holding my dick and moaning. I stood up, went out, and did something about it.

Latest pick of cool artist in our ongoing collaborat ion with Sonicbids.

By Fred Mills

The BLURT staff put our heads (and ears) together and we have our December pick for our Blurt/Soni cbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Brooklyn's Black Swan Green, whose recently self-relea sed album The Ruin Gaze is an utterly compelling miasma of psychedeli a, shoegaze and pop.

Tune in to BLURT radio if you want to hear an MP3, "Waxwing," by the band - just click on the music player image on the right hand side of our homepage and it will cue up automatica lly.

Why "Black Swan Green"? That's the name of an acclaimed novel by David Mitchell, and as band co-founder Hugh Crickmore explained in a recent interview with BLURT, "The title seemed like such a great band name, I kept walking by it in store windows and thinking, ‘I love the way that name looks.' I was hesitant at first to use Black Swan Green with the plethora of animal band names that saturate the scene. It seemed all the good ones were taken. Though officially it is a place name and not an animal..."

We'll have more of the interview and give you the full lowdown on the band next week. Meanwhile, check out the band's MySpace page: www.myspace.com/blacks wangreenny c. And congratula tions to Black Swan Green. They're one of the good ‘uns , trust us.

***

Bands, go to www.sonicbids.com/blurto nline to submit and have us review your materials for feature considerat ion.

Our November Best Kept Secret: The Handcuffs, from Chicago.

Episode Fünf

FUCKED UP

You know what's fucked up? The fact that this band plays almost exclusivel y to the hardcore scene. I understand why, having witnessed frontman Father Damian heartily and heavily take on a crowd of mauling Berlin punks. However, the guitars behind the man in front anchor the madness in a beautiful& mdash;gorg eous, even&mdash ;wash of sound and glory that makes this just really really good music. Listening to their records at home, I could well imagine Fucked Up being backed up by a philharmon ic some time in the future.

The band originates out of Toronto, Canada, and has, over the past 8 years, built an unassailab le legacy out of ferocious live shows, incessant touring, informed, articulate interviews , an impeccable singles output, and two brilliant full lengths, the latter of which, The Chemistry of Common Life, is on Matador Records.

For more informatio n, see lookingfor gold.blogspot.com or www.matadorrec ords.com.

"Dude, have you been to Berlin yet?!" cove rs the music, art and fashion scenes in Berlin, as witnessed by Jenna Young, recent transplant from New York City and guitar player in the rock band Ghetto Ways.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/ca ble/satell ite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

Saturday, January 3:

12:00 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: Neko Case

1:00 HD Net: The Cure: 4Play in Charlotte

2:00 HD Net: Bow Wow: Live from Nashville

2:00 Fuse: Prince Purple Rain

5:00 Rave HD: The Cure: Trilogy

6:00 Sundance: Live From Abbey Road: Sheryl Crow, Hard-Fi, Diana Krall

8:00 Rave HD: Soundstage : New York Dolls

9:00 PBS: Austin City Limits: Lucinda Williams, Old Crow Medicine Show

11:30 NBC: Saturday Night Live: POaul Rudd, Beyonce

Sunday, January 4:

2:00 HD Net: Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked for the Holidays

2:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With Tony Bennett

2:00 Fuse: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

4:00 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: Ben Kweller

4:30 HD Net: Melissa Etheridge

8:00 HD Net: Bon Jovi: Live From Times Square, NYC

9:30 HD Net: Hives: Live from Terminal 5, NYC

10:00 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: British Sea Power

10:45 HD Net: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Live from Central Park, NYC

12:00 HD Net: New Order: Live in Glasgow

Monday, January 5:

2:00 Rave HD: David Gilmore Live at Royal Albert Hall

8:30 Sundance: The Who: Amazing Journey - Six Quick Ones

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Glasvegas

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: Iron & Wine

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: T-Pain

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Doyle & Debbie

Chuck Eddy dusts off his old vinyl and scratches his head. We all win.

Greetings, BLURT readers. This column's theme is fairly simple: Basically, I sort alphabetic ally through my shelves for dusty old 7-inch vinyl indie singles from acts that aren't household names, and try to figure out why I wound up keeping them in the first place. This is the 10^th installmen t (first two appeared at Idolator.)

***

THE LIDS - "No Fool For You"/"Too Late"/"Not hing To Do" (Die Slaughterh aus, 2003)

Garage-pun k brats from...somewhere (there's basically no informatio n about them in the Internets) , seemingly singing into a toy microphone and hoping to be picked up by the hand-held tape recorder down the hall. Fast, primal slop for hip young caveboys and cavegirls. One chord and one sentence per song, if that. Guy tells us he's no fool for us; girl chimes in randomly in the background , seemingly responding boy's monosyllab ic ramblings but lagging behind the beat. "Too late too late too late." "Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah." Oddly, or maybe not (how easy or difficult would this be?), all three songs are hooky anyway. "All I want is something to do," he sings bored through the blur; then...a time change, which sends the music careening toward some semblance of climax. Which makes "Nothing To Do" the Lids' epic, almost.

(www.grunnenroc ks.nl/bands/l /lidsthe.htm)

LOVE AS LAUGHTER -"Hall and Oates Have Disappeare d"/ "Looks Like This City's Broken" (SubPop, 2000)

The Stones to Pavement's Beatles? Whatever that means. Anyway, they're from Brooklyn, and "Hall and Oates Have Disappeare d" - which, as far as I can tell, has absolutely nothing to do with the Philly blue-eyed- soul duo in question - does have a certain lower-mino r-league Exile On Main Street muffle to its shuffle. Doesn't really rock; not much drummer push, but it's got a little roll to it - and in 2000, and maybe even still now, a little roll was at least a step in the right direction for notoriousl y scared-to- dance indie rock. High-regis tered stuff about finding a parking spot in the parking lot, then the music switches into a sort of vamp, even almost a hint of disco throb at one point (did they think that was the Hall and Oates part?), with whimsical noises gurgling out of it. Just sort of meanders on and on, but it does quote "Space Oddity" by Bowie at one point. "Looks Like This City's Broken" has more of an apparent low-grade attempt at a boogie riff. Given the city's busted state, the singer suggests, we should just turn around and go back. But to where? (www.myspace.com/loveas laughter)

MATMOS - "On And On"/DIE MONITR BATSS - "Black Out Cross" (Ache, 2004)

Baltimore- via Frisco duo Matmos work plinks and urps into some robotic semblance of extended funk-like repetition ; drum-like objects of some sort double the rhythm, and then a bassline enters -- almost phat, in its own geeky way, though presumably unrecogniz able to Curtis Mayfield or Gladys Knight fans who know the original song supposedly being covered. Thing is, when the melody picks up, you can actually hear remnants of a mournful "Freddie's Dead"-styl e soul melody for a couple minutes; the emotion really accumulate s. And then it's back to space-age robot wars. Die Monitr Batss, meanwhile, manage a distant memory of boogie chug in their own post-punk way, with Contortion s-or-Lora- Logic-styl e free-jazz sax splat fleshing out the field. "You can't see me/I can't see you" (or "can," maybe - hard to tell.) "I'm not gonna watch you do it" - so they're not voyeurs. They have more instrument al than vocal energy, though - Die Monotone Batss, they should be called. "Ho Wave," the Portlander s (somehow tangential ly related to theoretica lly dancefloor -unscared indie band the Gossip) call themselves on their Myspace page; har har. Climaxes in yer usual Wagenerian post-Sonic Youth drone-clan k. But first, extroverte d instrument al parts lead to a nervous breakdown, suggesting an old woman falling out of a wheelchair during a magic show.

(www.myspace.com/matmos 1)

MEANEST MAN CONTEST - "Contamina ted Dance Step"/ "Feelin' Pretty Psyched (About Love)" (Weapon-Sh aped, 2002)

Another San Fran duo; this one via L.A., and rapping. Or at least talking, or reciting poetry, or whatever you call it, with a matter-of- fact diction, about logos and crescendos and managerial positions, words coming at you way too fast for note-takin g unless you remember way more shorthand than I do. Not much attempt to use the voice as rhythm or maintain a groove - and the background music sounds more like a movie soundtrack than dance steps, contaminat ed or otherwise -- but they sure pack in a lot of syllables. Eventually the A-side song turns into some subliminal ly familiar spiel about how "hyphenate d Americans mean divided Americans." An opinion that goes back at least to Teddy Roosevelt, and which may well make Meanest Man Contest unreliable narrators. Then there's another spoken word sample: an intro to Louis Armstrong playing trumpet. Then on the flipside, another long collage suite, returning to what I assume to be the Mean Men's own voices, talking about a male professor who "wasn't fired, he was let go." More changes of direction, more monotonous verbosity, different voices out of each speaker: "It was hidden in the cardboard and the cobwebs, it is not dead." "The stories suffer from deadline pressure." One guy starts almost actually rapping, sounding legitimate ly undergroun d (rather than under-undergrou nd), rhyming about rising like a phoenix something material venereal MCs get murdered in cereal. Pretty sure he's joking. "Aren't we bitter little people, we ought to be unable to say anything except sardonical ly." Or something like that. He may not be joking there, but then I may not be following him.

(www.myspace.com/meanes tmancontes t)

DAN MELCHIOR - "Instant Love"/"Tha t's No Way To Get Along" (Smartguy, 2000)

Fuzzed-up megaphone grumbling over blues chords; arty by virtue of production (or lack thereof) not structure. At times he just beats his guitar, the only instrument here I think. One of those eternal eccentrics , hunting for something to kill the pain. From London; now apparently in North Carolina. Yet despite its surface weirdness, "Instant Love" sounds too average. Needs more of a hook, or something, to justify its normality. "That's No Way To Get Along" opens with Delta picking, and is marginally more interestin g by virtue of sounding more antiquated . "I'm goin' home/Don't tell my mom." Why not? Would she move before you show up? An old song, I assume. Those lowdown women treat a person wrong, and there's no way to get along. Keeps returning to the same place -- circular like a roundelay, or round like a circle.

(www.myspace.com/dasmen ace)

Chuck Eddy is the former music editor of the Village Voice and the author of several books, including the greatest book on heavy metal ever written, Stairway To Hell. He won't admit it, but he knows more about rock ‘n' roll than the entire accumulate d BLURT brain trust.

Okay, so it's technicall y a Kings of Convenienc e (not the greatest name either) side project. But that's no excuse.

By Blurt Staff

The NME is reporting on the impending arrival of Rules by the unfortunat ely named The Whitest Boy Alive, which is a project mounted by the Kings of Convenienc e's Erland Oye. It's due March 3 and is the followup to 2006's Dreams. Since we have better things to do than track down the record and give it a lesson - be honest: wouldn't you be embarrasse d to be caught holding a record by a band called The Whitest Boy Alive? - we'll copy the hyperventi lating, scintillat ing Amazon.com product blurb for Dreams:

"You may know Erlend Øye from Kings of Convenienc e. The Bergen-bas ed Norwegian singer has been a huge figure in the electronic music scene for years, but with Whitest Boy Alive, his new project with German DJ Marcin Oez, Erlend's gone the opposite route, creating stripped down rock music without layering, editing or effects. The simple combinatio n of drums, bass, guitar and Erlend's breezy, yet intimate voice create a sound that is both funky and melancholy . A truly original pop band making the simplest sounding dance songs in the most organic way, this is one of the best rock albums you will hear this year."

Oy. Well, alright then! And a photo's worth a thousand words, too...

Legendary Denver grunge era band last spotted at the Sub Pop 20^th bash....

By Fred Mills

Back in the summer we brought you the story about Sub Pop Records' 20^th anniversar y celebratio n in Seattle, along with a correspond ing feature on the Fluid, which had been an early mainstay of the label and got back together (as did Green River) for a few shows in conjunctio n with the event. By all accounts, the performanc es were dynamic and riveting, the band's powers undiminish ed.

At the time, Fluid vocalist John Robinson noted that the reunion was essentiall y a one-off, but he left the door open for the possibilit y of future dates, saying, "We don't have to create anything - there's no expectatio ns, nothing riding on it. If something comes back in the way of an offer to do a festival here and there, maybe do a show in Europe, we'll look at it at face value: Does it line up with our schedules? Does it make sense? Will we get a cool trip out of it? Maybe pocket a little money? The thing is, as I said, with documentin g and throwing all this out there, we could be creating some kind of commodity with it where if the website we're putting together gets enough traffic, maybe some promoters will see that and go, ‘Hey , maybe there's an audience for this...' And put together an offer. But lucky for us, we get to exist in this timespace right now with zero expectatio ns. If anything comes of it in that regard, it's just bonus."

So now word arrives that, indeed, the Fluid will be doing two shows next week, in Hoboken and Brooklyn:

Friday, January 16th.
Maxwell's, Hoboken NJ.  tickets
w/ The King Left and The Overcaster s.

Saturday, January 17th, 2009.
Williamsbu rg Music Hall tickets
w/ Jemina Pearl (from Be Your Own Pet) and The Overcaster s.

Be there or be square.

The Fluid on the web:

Fluid at imeem: www.imeem.com/theflu id

Fluid at MySpace: http://pro file.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseac tion=user.viewProfil e&frie ndID=20812 50

WTF?!?

By Fred Mills

There she is, gracing the cover of this month's Elle magazine (the UK edition, that is - cooler, and indeed, saner, heads prevailed in America, where Beyonce is the cover gal for the January issue), the little ol' rock chick next door, all grown up and dubbed "Rock's Coolest Blonde" by the editorial powers that be.

We'll leave all that to your own meditation s. Hint: say ommmmmm first. Meanwhile, though, over the weekend an intriguing post was made to Courtney's MySpace blog, this time relatively coherent with, like, punctuatio n and stuff. Surprise: it was written by her MySpace Administra tor (no name given). Apparently Courtney had previously indicated that Jan. 1 would see the release of her long-overd ue, probably-n o-longer-l ong-awaite d new album, provisiona lly titled Nobody's Daughter - which, of course, is a no-show.  So said Administra tor decided to step in and do some damage control by ‘spl aining what was up (or not) with the album. "Some of you guys have expressed your utmost disappoint ment and I don't blame you for feeling let down, some angry and sad," writes the Admin, referring to Courtney's legions of fans, adding, "The fact is, Courtney Love is a true artist, and as most true artist, the true artist simply communicat es from within. That special place that Courtney holds so deep, especially for her fans is a really honest haven that exhibits skill, versatilit y, self-disci pline, formal and conceptual rigor, and a commitment to excellence . A commitment to giving you guys the best she HAS and WILL give you."

Admin goes on to cite "paranorma l technical issues" surroundin g the studio that Courtney and her band were recording in, which if you parse the meaning of the term "paranorma l" you'd have to conclude the damn place was haunted, additional ly mentioning some "technical sound issues" and "fucked up" acoustics.

Well, that explains that. Predictabl y, in the comments section of the blog posting, Courtney's legions weighed in empathetic ally, clearly understand ing the dilemma of a true artist. One typical entry went, "I can wait for it! I know it's going to be awesome!" while another read, "I mean i was so excited. but i will wait just like i have been for five years. Because she is worth it and so is her record. Courtney you are amazing and I will support [sic] you when nobody else does."

Yes, yes, she is amazing, isn't she! Rock's Coolest Blonde, in fact! You can read the full Admin post at the link above, or it's copied below, verbatim, for your edificatio n....

***

Friday, January 02, 2009

Presenting the Big Shoulders Ball: Chicago Celebrates Change

By Roxana Hadadi

Hipsters probably helped elect Barack Obama into the White House, so why not have some fun now that the next four years are locked up liberal-st yle?

If you happen to be in the nation's capitol (not necessaril y as hipster-he avy a city as New York City or Chicago, but still..) on the night before President George W. Bush's last day, stop by the Black Cat for the Big Shoulders Inaugurati on Ball, presented by storied Chicago venue The Hideout along with Interchang e but held in D.C. for obvious reasons. Washington will be going apeshit the next day, so if you want to prepare yourself for Obama's history-ma king, check out the tiny club that could for a show featuring Andrew Bird, Ted Leo and more on Jan. 19.

The Black Cat's website describes the event as a "celebrati on of citizen politics, independen t music and Windy City civic pride," and along with Bird's folk-y American sound and Leo's delightful ly angry political tunes will feature Chicago's Waco Brothers, Eleventh Dream Day and Jon Langford, among others (for the full artist list, visit www.blackcatdc .com).

You may want to get your tickets soon ($50 each) and line up early - the venue is all ages and kinda small, so it being packed isn't unimaginab le. And you'll finally be able to know for sure: Can Democrats party? Bill Clinton's numerous sexy rendezvous don't count...

A portion of proceeds will go to the Chicago Public Schools marching bands program as well as the Future of Music Coalition.

Caffeine intended to give you, uh, energy.

By Fred Mills

We'll admit it: repeated viewings of the new Pepsi commercial (see below) have finally rendered the ad pretty annoying. Maybe we just don't dig "cute" when the economy is in tatters, the world's in flames, and we're in a tizzy over what our kids are going to wake up to each day.

At any rate, the soft drink manufactur er is apparently "rebrandin g" itself with a new red/white/ blue logo (it resembles, oddly, the Obama campaign logo), but it doesn't really seem to improve on the old one.

Meanwhile, though, Apples In Stereo have licensed their tune "Energy" from Magnetic Wonder to the ad, so that's a plus. Hey.,. energy. Caffeine. Energy. Yeah.... Check it out.

Guest post this week from a new fave, singer-son gwriter Denison Witmer (his 2008 CD Carry the Weight made the Cut through the Noise Top 10). Astounding [...]

A Triple-A radio programmin g veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentati on of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/ca ble/satell ite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

Tuesday, January 6:

6:00 & 10:30 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: Sloan

10:00 HBO Comedy: David Cross - The Pride Is Back

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Erin McCarley

11:35  ; NBC Jay Leno: Pussycat Dolls

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Kathy Griffin, Mike Birbiglia

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Bang Camaro

1:30 VH1: Rock Docs: NWA The World's Most Dangerous Group

1:35 NBC: Carson Daly: Quincy Jones, Little Joy

Wednesday, January 7:

11:00 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: Black Angels

7:00 Rave HD: Elvis Costello Live in Montreal

9:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello w/The Police

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Okkervil River

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Gabe Dixon Band

12:35 Craig Ferguson: William Shatner

1:45 Sundance: Rolling Stones/Bri an Jones -  Stoned

Breaking news indicates that Ron Asheton was found dead at his Ann Arbor home this morning. According to the Ann Arbor News the body of the Stooges guitarist, 60, was discovered on a living room couch and appeared to have been dead "for at least several days," said an Ann Arbor detective. Asheton's personal assistant had been unable to reach him and notified police.

The police said that foul play is not suspected and that autopsy and toxicology reports are forthcomin g, but that a heart attack is the likely cause of death.

We'll have a more complete report on the legendary axeman soon.

Brings to an end a fruitful 40-year collaborat ion.

By Fred Mills

Yesterday the following, succinct, bit of news was posted to the Kraftwerk website Minimum Maximum:

Florian Schneider leaves Kraftwerk... Florian Schneider leaves Kraftwerk after a 40 years partnershi p with Ralf Hütte r. This partnershi p has generated an incredible music and  huge advances in music technology . Florian is a great musician, always seeking the  perfect sound through technology . Refined&nb sp; and perfected sounds and vocoders to  impossible levels of perfection . Our thanks for the state of art that led to Kraftwerk' s music all these years. And our wishes for success Florian's new projects as well as to this new Kraftwerk.

And that is that. The lack of specifics is, perhaps, appropriat e, considerin g how notoriousl y guarded, hermetic, even, Kraftwerk has been with regards to its public face. More details as (if) they emerge.

Meanwhile, some Kraftwerk tour dates:

15 Mar 2009, 20:00, Foro Sol, Mexico City, Mexico
16 Mar 2009, 20:00, Foro Sol, Mexico City, Mexico
20 Mar 2009, 20:00, Praç ;a Da Apoteose, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
22 Mar 2009, 20:00, Chacara Do Jockey, São Paulo, Brazil
24 Mar 2009, 20:00, Club Ciudad, Buenos Aires, Argentina
26 Mar 2009, 20:00, San Carlos De Apoquindo Stadium, Santiago, Chile
27 Mar 2009, 20:00, San Carlos De Apoquindo Stadium, Santiago, Chile
25 April 2009, 20:00, Wolfsburg, Germany
25 April 2009, 23:45, Wolfsburg, Germany
26 April 2009, 20:00, Wolfsburg, Germany

Cult hero makes rare (only) Southern appearance in Asheville, NC.

By Fred Mills

Pretty much anyone with their ear even just partly to the ground in 2008 caught a bit of the Rodriguez buzz - Sixto Rodriguez, whose 1970 album Cold Fact, long a gem for crate-digg ers and collectors of obscure psych/soul /folkrock, was reissued by Light In The Attic. NPR aired an in-depth profile of the man back in the fall, while among the many critical kudos he garnered, your friendly neighborho od BLURT named the album one of our top archival releases for '08, just behind Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue, if you can dig that.

Our previous coverage of Rodriguez includes the CD review itself and details on a handful of live performanc es, including a show in NYC in September and a radio station session in Detroit in October. Since then there have also been a couple of West Coast gigs, including one in San Francisco on Nov. 23 featuring a 10-piece backing band composed of members of The Fresh & Onlys. Reviewing it for Jambase.com, Jim Welte observed that while Rodriguez' voice does betray some of the vicissitud es of age and that the man's stage presence "was as awkward as you'd expect from someone who hasn't spent much time on a stage in recent years," the experience was still a great one featuring songs "so good and so emblematic of their era." Concluded Welte, "Rodriguez would be hard-press ed to capitalize on the renewed interest in his music with new albums, but he's earned the right to keep showing off the two he's already made."

So this weekend, Saturday 10^th, Rodriguez appears in Asheville, NC, at music venue the Grey Eagle. It's a push on the part of local indie store Harvest Records to bring the man to a wider audience, and for the event a local supergroup of sorts, fronted by Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound mainman, natch), will be backing Rodriguez. Certainly the pick-up nature of the backing band may have had something to do with the man's perceived awkwardnes s in San Francisco so there's no predicting how things will go down in Asheville - but I have it on good authority that the band has been tirelessly rehearsing 15 songs and has ‘em down solid, so my gut feeling is that a good time is guaranteed for all.

It's not every day you get to see a legend in the flesh.

Details: The Grey Eagle www.thegreyeag le.com/

Harvest Records: www.harvest-re cords.com/

Rodriguez on the web: www.sugarman.org/

Followup to blog-appro ved 2007 album.

By Blurt Staff

Brooklyn's Antlers will self-relea se their new full-lengt h, Hospice, through limited edition CD and download on March 3. The album chronicles The Antlers' evolution from detailed dream pop to densely layered shoegaze, from solo effort to band.

The group began as Peter Silberman' s solo bedroom arrangemen ts and recordings , but this upcoming release marks the first time Silberman assembled a group of friends to contribute : Darby Cicci (trumpet, bowed banjo), Justin Stivers (bass), Michael Lerner (drums), and Sharon Van Etten (guest vocals). Cicci and Lerner remain as core members of the live band.

Hospice is the follow-up to 2007's In the Attic of the Universe, which became The Antlers' unexpected under-the- radar breakthrou gh thanks to blog word-of-mo uth. Along with several other EPs, a successful CMJ and SXSW '08, and this past fall's midwest and east coast tour, In September, The Antlers released a free download of "Two", the first single off of the new album. The track quickly earned adoration from the blogospher e, landing spots on numerous playlists and best-of lists. (It charted high on music blog aggregator Elbo.ws' list of most frequently -posted tracks, and ranked as Pop Tarts Suck Toasted's #1 single of 2008.) "Bear", Hospice's second single, will be released in January.

Silberman began writing Hospice as a concept album to answer for his disappeara nce after he moved to New York City in 2006. But what began as a simple explanatio n soon resembled a novel or film, a musical work best heard from start to finish. After nearly two years of writing and recording, the result is a lyrically dark, sonically expansive and grandiose album; a memoir of dysfunctio n and isolation, and a reminder never to lose oneself again.


Check out these MP3s of the two songs mentioned above:

"Bear" - http://www .antlersmus ic.com/bear.mp3
"Two" - http://www .antlersmus ic.com/two.mp3

[Photo Credit: Judith Levitt]

Legendary "original rock opera" was to be performed in its entirety.

By Fred Mills

Sad news came down the pike this week for Pretty Things fans - the legendary sixties garage-pun ks-cum-flo wer-punks had been planning to stage a series of concerts celebratin g the 40^th anniversar y of their rock opera masterpiec e S.F. Sorrow (which, technicall y, came out 41 years ago, but who keeps track?). Now, however, comes word that the four U.K. shows have been cancelled due to unspecifie d "schedulin g difficulti es" which has led to speculatio n that poor ticket sales were the root cause.

Shows had been slated for Jan. 28, 30 and 31 plus Feb. 1 in Glasgow, Birmingham , London and Manchester , and were to be presented by British classic rock station Planet Rock. According to the original press releases issued by Planet Rock in October, "The shows will feature the entire album, played exactly as recorded, and in full by the original line-up, who recorded the album in 1967. The band never performed the record live when it was current, and have only ever attempted it on one previous occasion as a public performanc e, at a sold out Royal Festival Hall Show in 2001, where they played it with Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour making a guest appearance ... As always with The Pretty Things, expect the unexpected and be prepared for the full on onslaught of passion, energy and excitement that characteri ses every performanc e by the longest surviving, original line-up band in the world."

Expect the unexpected from the Pretties, well, that's for sure. Here's hoping they get the situation under control and are able to move forward again with the shows.

By Fred Mills

Iggy Pop and his fellow Stooges have issued a statement regarding the death of guitarist and founding member Ron Asheton, whose body was discovered this morning at his Ann Arbor home. "I am in shock. He was my best friend," said Iggy.

The statement reads:

"We are shocked and shaken by the news of Ron's death. He was a great friend, brother, musician, trooper. Irreplacea ble. He will be missed. For all that knew him behind the facade of Mr Cool & Quirky, he was a kind-heart ed, genuine, warm person who always believed that people meant well even if they did not.

"As a musician Ron was The Guitar God, idol to follow and inspire others. That is how he will be remembered by people who had a great pleasure to work with him, learn from him and share good and bad times with him.

"Iggy, Scott, Steve, Mike and Crew."

**

Watch the BLURT site next week for a tribute to the guitar great.

Hitting the road for Feb-March trek.

By Blurt Staff

Seattle's These Arms are Snakes will be touring behind their latest full-lengt h Tail Swallower & Dove (Suicide Squeeze) starting in late February. They'll be traveling coast to coast with support on the  first leg by All The Saints, then when the tour dips southward Young Widows will come on board.

Need convincing ? Here's what BLURT had to say about the album, in part: "The muscle and power of Snakes' music doesn't obscure their intelligen t song constructi on and unabashed love of nerding out with exacting riffs. Fans of sensitive indie schmaltz take note: this isn't the album for you, but a listen or two might give you the fortitude to step up and accept the mysterious power of careening, distorted guitar playing."

Tour Dates:

Feb 22 2009 Marquis Theatre Denver, Colorado w/ All The Saints
Feb 24 2009 Jackpot Saloon Lawrence, Kansas w/ All The Saints
Feb 25 2009 The Picador Iowa City, Iowa w/ All The Saints
Feb 26 2009 Triple Rock Social Club Minneapoli s, Minnesota w/ All The Saints
Feb 27 2009 The Cactus Club Milwaukee, Wisconsin w/ All The Saints
Feb 28 2009 Subterrane an Chicago, Illinois w/ All The Saints
Mar 1 2009 The House Dekalb, Illinois w/ All The Saints
Mar 2 2009 Magic Stick Detroit, Michigan w/ All The Saints
Mar 3 2009 Grog Shop Cleveland, Ohio w/ All The Saints
Mar 4 2009 Soundlab Buffalo, New York w/ All The Saints
Mar 5 2009 The Middle East - Upstairs Cambridge, Massachuse tts w/ All The Saints
Mar 6 2009 The Polish Club Poughkeeps ie, New York w/ All The Saints
Mar 7 2009 Music Hall of Williamsbu rg  &nbs p; Br ooklyn, New York w/ All The Saints
Mar 10 2009 The Barbary Philadelph ia, Pennsylvan ia w/ All The Saints
Mar 11 2009 Rock And Roll Hotel Washington , Washington DC w/ All The Saints
Mar 13 2009 Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, Georgia w/ Young Widows
Mar 14 2009 Common Grounds Gainesvill e, Florida w/ Young Widows
Mar 15 2009 The Social Orlando, Florida w/ Young Widows
Mar 17 2009 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, Louisiana w/ Young Widows and Mazarati
Mar 22 2009 Launchpad Albuquerqu e, New Mexico

By Fred Mills

Sam "The Bluzman" Taylor, 74, died Monday, Jan. 5, at his Islandia, NY, home, from complicati ons related to heart disease. The popular guitarist/ singer had been performing since the ‘50s , working with some of the greats including Otis Redding, the Isley Brothers, Sam & Dave and B.T. Express (the latter for whom he served in a production and arranging capacity.

Ironically , though, it wasn't until 1995 that he released a quote/unqu ote straight blues album; Bluzman was followed by a steady string of critically hailed records, including his final album, 2006's The Funky Side of Fame. Taylor was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1995 and was also a member of both the Long Island Music Hall of Fame and the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame - he lived in Tucson for an extended period from the mid ‘80s to the mid ‘90s and was a familiar fixture on the club scene there.

Yours truly, in fact, saw him perform on a number of occasions during my own decade-lon g tenure in Tucson. You could spot him a mile away, perenniall y sporting a huge smile under one of his trademark captain's caps.

There's an excellent profile and remembranc e of Tucson at the Arizona Daily Star currently on line. In the article, KXCI-FM blues DJ Marty Kool is quoted as saying, of Taylor, "Sam was dripping with soul. When he sang, he put everything he had into it. You could hear it in his songs. Not many people could sing like Sam Taylor, with that kind of feeling."

Amen to that.

BLURT contributo r Rev. Keith Gordon also has a nice tribute to Taylor posted to his blog at the About.com Guide to the Blues.

Four week residency and a lot more, including a new album.

By Blurt Staff

Marco Benevento will call Northern California home in February when he hosts a four week residency at Yoshi's in Oakland. Supporting his new release, Me Not Me (available February 3 from The Royal Potato Family), Benevento is set to appear every Tuesday of the month at the prestigiou s east bay jazz venue with a different set of special guests.

He'll launch the run on February 3 with an album release party featuring his core trio comprised of bassist Reed Mathis and drummer Andrew Barr. They'll also perform a handful of shows later that week in the northwest. The following Tuesday, Benevento revisits the "two drummers and a saxophone" band from his storied 2008 Sullivan Hall residency with drummers Billy Martin and G. Calvin Weston and tenor saxophonis t Skerik. The following night the same lineup heads south for an appearance at Largo in Los Angeles. On February 17, week three, guitarist Jeff Parker of Tortoise joins Benevento along with the Nels Cline Singers' rhythm section, bassist Devin Hoff and drummer Scott Amendola.  Rounding out Benevento' s four consecutiv e Tuesdays at Yoshi's will be "Quartet The Killer," performing the music of Neil Young, for which Benevento will be joined by his partner in The Duo, drummer Joe Russo, along with tenor saxophonis t Peter Apfelbaum and trombonist Josh Roseman.

Me Not Me finds Benevento interpreti ng the work of artists such as Deerhoof, Leonard Cohen, George Harrison and My Morning Jacket among others. Benevento also contribute s three original compositio ns, including "Now They're Writing Music," which was first performed as a rough sketch last spring when the Brooklyn-b ased pianist appeared on "The World Cafe With David Dye." In addition to Benevento, the album features the aforementi oned Mathis and Barr along with drummer Matt Chamberlai n. The set was recorded in Seattle at Chroma Sound and mixed in Brooklyn by Bryce Goggin.

Tour Dates:

January 10 / Winter Jazzfest at Sullivan Hall / New York, NY
February 2 / Don Quixote's Internatio nal Music Hall / Felton, CA
February 3 / Yoshi's / Oakland, CA
February 5 / The Triple Door / Seattle, WA
February 6 / Axe & Fiddle / Cottage Grove, OR
February 7 / The Goodfoot / Portland, OR
February 10 / Yoshi's / Oakland, CA
February 11 / Largo / Los Angeles, CA (w/ Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey)
February 17 / Yoshi's / Oakland, CA
February 24 / Yoshi's / Oakland, CA
March 7 / The Bell House / Brooklyn, NY

Hot off the press release pile comes this official announceme nt...

By Blurt Staff

Multi-awar d winning soul singer and musical legend Van Morrison is set to release "Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl," an in-concert reworking of his historic 1968 gold-certi fied solo album. Recorded live over two nights at the Hollywood Bowl this past Nov. 7 and 8, the album marks the premiere release on Mr. Morrison's new EMI-distri buted label, Listen to the Lion Records. "Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl" arrives in stores Feb. 10, 2009. A double-vin yl edition with three bonus tracks (including a live version of "Gloria") arrives in stores the same day.

The concerts marked the first time Mr. Morrison ever performed "Astral Weeks" in one complete concert set. Joining him was an orchestral string section and a band composed of world-clas s musicians, some of whom played with Van on the original "Astral Weeks" sessions 40 years ago. Tracks on the CD include: "Astral Weeks/I Believe I've Transcende d," "Beside You," "Slim Slow Slider/ I Start Breaking Down," "Sweet Thing," "The Way Young Lovers Do," "Cyprus Avenue / You Came Walking Down," "Ballerina ," "Madame George" and two bonus tracks, "Listen to the Lion / The Lion Speaks" and "Common One."

"The Hollywood Bowl concerts gave me a welcome opportunit y to perform these songs the way I originally intended them to be," says Mr. Morrison, who amazingly held only one rehearsal prior to the concerts. "There are certain dynamics you can get in live recordings that you just cannot get in a studio recording.  I love listening to live recordings . You get the whole thing right there, unabridged , raw and in the moment. There was a distinct alchemy happening on that stage in Hollywood. I felt it."

To rework "Astral Weeks," Mr. Morrison added his signature stretching of songs in a manner unlike any before by creating new sections of songs live on stage. As producer of the record, Morrison insisted there be no post-produ ction engineerin g. It is straight up raw from the Hollywood Bowl stage - pure resonant sound.

"These songs are timeless and as fresh today as the day they were written, actually even more so," Mr. Morrison added . "I was happy to perform them at the Hollywood Bowl and delighted to release a live album which really captures the essence of the original for today's audiences with every taste in music. It's got it all, jazz, blues, folk, classic. You name it."

Fans and critics present at the Hollywood Bowl those two nights grasped the momentous nature of the concerts. Rolling Stone Magazine noted that Mr. Morrison "took charge of the music with the authority that comes with four decades of performing . It seemed that once he breathed in the perfume of these eight songs, he didn't want them to end - and looking at the enraptured crowd, he wasn't the only one." Added the Los Angeles Times, "Transcend ence is what Morrison has been after with his music from the beginning... the wondrous youthful timbre of his voice... has evolved over the years into a richer, fuller instrument , with every bit of its remarkable elasticity very much intact."

Unbeknowns t to Mr. Morrison at the time he planned the Hollywood Bowl shows, the concerts coincided exactly with the 40th anniversar y of the release of "Astral Weeks." He took it as a sign this project was destined to be. Universall y regarded as one of the most important albums in pop music history, "Astral Weeks" broke new ground with its experiment al free-flowi ng arrangemen ts and deeply reflective songs. Mr. Morrison's motivation to rework the music was to get back to his original signature sound: a blend of jazz, blues, classical and folk unique to Van Morrison.

Both Bowl shows were filmed in high-defin ition, and will later be available as a commercial DVD concert film. Due to overwhelmi ng demand, Mr. Morrison will perform "Astral Weeks" again, in show at the Theater at New York's Madison Square Garden, on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27 & 28. Accompanie d by two different bands, Mr. Morrison will play two sets per show: one of "Astral Weeks" cover to cover, the other of rarely played Van Morrison classics. He may even pull out rare gems "TB Sheets," "Mystic Eyes," "Who Drove the Red Sports Car" and "Baby Please Don't Go."

A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Mr. Morrison is responsibl e for some of the greatest recordings of the last fifty years. A Belfast native of proud Scottish heritage, he grew up listening to American music with his parents, his favorites artists being greats like Ledbelly, Mahalia Jackson, Lightnin' Hopkins and other legends of blues and soul. With more than 200 of his compositio ns featured in major motion pictures over the years, Mr. Morrison was inducted into the Songwriter s Hall of Fame by the late Ray Charles in June 2003.

As Mr. Morrison said, "I'm not just a singer. I am a soul singer." His "Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl" proves exactly that, over and over again.

We just added the latest MP3s by Neko Case, Vetiver, and Heartless Bastards to our BLURT Radio player. Check 'em out!

Decemberis ts set to release new album The Hazards of Love March 24

On March 24th, Capitol Records will release&nb sp;The Decemberis tsÂ� �¯Â¿Â� � fift h album&mdas h;entitled  The Hazards Of Love, the follow-up to the group&Acir c;ï¿ ½s 2006 breakthrou gh,The Crane Wife. No Decemberis ts long player would be complete without some kind of theme or concept running throughout and it sounds like this won't be any different. According to the press release, "the 17-song suite, recorded with the band ;ï¿� �½s longtime producer, Tucker Martine, is rooted in ancient language and imagery, yet entirely modern and accessible ." Wow.

The Decemberis ts are making&nbs p;ÂÃ� �¿½"The Rake ;ï¿� �½s Song"Âà ¯Â¿Â½  from The Hazards available as a free download starting today  ;at www.decemberis ts.com.

For more on that concept, here's mainman Colin Meloy has to say: "There'&Ac irc;½s an odd bond between the music of the British folk revival and classic metal. ÂÃ� �¿½A natural connection between, like, Fairport Convention and Black Sabbath ÂÃ� �¿½ of course, Sandy Denny from Fairport even sang with Led Zeppelin on ÂÃ� �¿½T he Battle of Evermore.ÂÃ� �¿½ I think there&Acir c;ï¿ ½s a shared sense of narrative and ambience, of moving beyond the first person in your writing. And I thought it would be interestin g to mess around with that.ÂÃ� �¿½"

Apparently The Hazards Of Love tell s the story of a woman named Margaret who is ravaged by a shape-shif ting beast; her lover, William; a forest queen; and a cold-blood ed, lascivious rake.ÂÃ� �¿½ Lave nder Diamond's Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden deliver the lead vocals for the female characters , while My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Robyn Hitchcock and the Spinanes' Rebecca Gates appear in supporting roles. 

The track listing for The Hazards Of Love is as follows:

1. Prel ude

2. The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won ï¿ ½t Wrestle the Thistles Undone)

3. A Bower Scene

4. Won& Acirc;ï ¿½t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)

5. The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)

6. The Queen&Acir c;ï¿ ½s Approach

7. Isn& Acirc;ï ¿½t it a Lovely Night?

8. The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid

9. An Interlude& nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; 

10. The Rake ;ï¿� �½s Song

11. The Abduction of Margaret

12. The Queen&Acir c;ï¿ ½s Rebuke / The Crossing

13. Anna n Water

14. Marg aret in Captivity

15. The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)

16. The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)

17. The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)

Blurt&rsqu o;s sleuthy sources dish on Sundance 2009 buzz flicks.

By RANDY HARWARD

It’s January in Salt Lake City, Utah. Wafting off the Wasatch Mountains, from a crevice called Parley&rsq uo;s Canyon that leads to Park City, is an enticing bouquet of hope, desperatio n, delusion and pretension … or maybe it’s just Axe™ body spray and swag bag perfume samples. It’s time again for the Sundance Film Festival, a veritable three-ring circus of the stars, where films are made and broken, and stiff smiles and firm handshakes —in even firmer, newly purchased ski gloves&mda sh;are exchanged. Here&rsquo ;s a peek at what Blurt’s shadowy sources say will be the talk of Park City next week.

Cobra Verde, Puta Madre

Quentin Tarantino presents this grindhouse -meets-art house film in which Klaus Kinski and Cheech Marin play an odd couple who run a temp staffing agency as a front for their private investigat ion business. When a tile setter goes rogue and starts taking side jobs, Kinski and Marin set out to teach the fucker a lesson, only to learn a little something themselves —fro m a Zen Dadaist who calls himself The Last Slice of Pizza. (R, 87 minutes, dir: Werner Jodorowsky )

Anything is Popsicle

A young music blogger with a Jew-fro (Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder) gets a once-in-a- lifetime chance to write a cover story for a national magazine but clashes with his editor, who requests numerous rewrites and refuses to let the young scribe use his affliction —mal apropism&m dash;as an excuse. A subplot follows a mother-dau ghter rock crit/group ie team that gets interviews via unscrupulo us front-row slurping. (R, 101 minutes, dir: Charlie Kaufman)

Excreted

From the producers of An American Carol and Expelled comes a film about how we all came from Ben Stein&rsqu o;s droning anus. (PG-13, 61 minutes, dir: Alan Smithee)

Itty Bitty Titty Kumite

Loosely based on Joe R. Lansdale&r squo;s short story The Pit. Four flat-chest ed barely-leg als and their chaperone (Kate Hudson) on a post-high school trip to Alabama take a wrong turn and are abducted by a snake-hand ling preacher who forces them to fight each other in undergroun d, to-the-dea th cage matches. Hudson falls for a toothless Cajun with literary aspiration s while the girls come to grips with their heterosexu ality. (R, 89 minutes, dir: Harmony Korine)

Our Band Could Fuck Your Wife&helli p; If You Enroll In Our Super Special VIP Fan Club

Exploring the phenomenon of VIP fan clubs, in which fans pay money for the privilege to pay even more money for VIP ticket packages, worthless tchotchkes and maybe/mayb e-not backstage meet-and-g reets. It doesn&rsqu o;t stop there: Our Band&helli p;reveals that some artists&md ash;such as kabuki-roc kers KISS&mdash ;plan to take the fleecing to ridiculous levels. (NC-17, 78 minutes, dir: Miranda Azerrad-Me ltzer)

Doll Farts: The Ringer 2

Penniless and even more desperate, Courtney Love (Courtney Love) blows an appellate court judge and wins the right to replace Kurt Cobain (played in flashbacks by Kurt Cobain&rsq uo;s exhumed skeleton) in Nirvana. Remaining members Dave Grohl (Aziz Ansari) and Krist Novoselic (Aaron Eckhart) figure “fuc k it” and allow the hijinks to ensue, hoping that by the end of the band&rsquo ;s second meteoric rise to fame, Love will blow her head off, too. (R, 114 minutes, dir: Benjamin Silverman for Reveille Production s)

Pop Rocks

Popstar puppy mill Disney answers Before the Music Dies with an apologist documentar y about the New Bubblegum, the cloying yet flavorless style of pop music where a pretty face is all you need. Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato argue for the fair use of Auto-Tune, with Cyrus paraphrasi ng the famous Elvis quote about her McMusic: “Lik e, 50 billion Cyrus fans can’ t all be tone-deaf.”

Each screening to be preceded by the short film Hannah Mantegna, in which character actor Joe Mantegna plays a cross-dres sing tribute performer with a stutter. (PG, 90 minutes, dir: Walt Disney&rsq uo;s frozen head)

Wigger

Melvin Van Peebles (Sweet Sweetback& rsquo;s Baadasssss Song) directs this tale of a twenty-yea r-old, rail-thin, albino Jiffy Lube employee in suburban Utah that experience s a downward spiral when his rims are stolen from his Datsun B210 Wagon, his own mother calls him a wigger and kicks his ass, and Soulja Boy’ s career tanks. (Unrated, 79 minutes, dir: Melvin Van Peebles)

Just a Juggalo

The tagline for this horror show is “The y’re dumb&helli p; and they&rsquo ;ve come (for handouts).” Forget Jimmy Buffett&rs quo;s “Par rotheads&r dquo; and David Archuleta& rsquo;s “Arc hies&rdquo ;: Insane Clown Posse&rsqu o;s “Jug galos&rdqu o; are most devoted (and retarded) fans of all— and they&rsquo ;re breeding. Juggalo Julz (The Sopranos&r squo; Aida Turturro) is a heavyweigh t Juggalette [Editor&rsq uo;s Note: Redundancy ?] whose favorite pastime, other than being a Juggalo&md ash;is washing down Xanax with beer. Julz discovers she’ s pregnant on Valentine& rsquo;s Day and delivers on Mother&rsq uo;s Day. When the baby&mdash ;named Annabelle Lotus after ICP side project Dark Lotus&mdas h;dies after only 13 minutes, she gives her “lit tle Ninjette&r dquo; an ICP-themed funeral… then blames the doctors and calls ICP’ s WFuckOff Radio to announce the news&mdash ;and use it as leverage when she complains about not receiving promised swag. Based on a true story. Seriously& hellip; we couldn&rsq uo;t make this shit up. (NC-17, 105 minutes, dir: Jorg Buttgereit )

10,000 applicatio ns, huh? That's a lot of coffee shop employees....

By Fred Mills

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference and Festival is scheduled to take place Wednesday, March 18 - 22, 2009 in Austin - but you knew that. Today the SXSW organizers released a list containing the first round of bands scheduled to perform; note that this is only a partial list (and that 10,000 applicatio ns were submitted as well).

Meanwhile, over at the most excellent Donewaitin g.com blog, they've posted an additional list of so-called "unconfirm ed bands" for this year's SXSW, which they define as "a mixture of band's Myspace accounts (a large majority), news articles, e-mails and other shadow sources. Sometimes bands list SXSW but what they really mean is they're playing Austin while SXSW is taking place." Thanks to Donewaitin g for posting the info - we'll be watching to see what the final confirmati ons look like.

And don't forget to keep checking, naturally, at the official SXSW website: www.sxsw.com. You'll be glad you did...

Officially Confirmed:

8Ball & MJG (Memphis, TN)
Akron/Fami ly (Williamsp ort, PA)
Al Kapone (Memphis, TN)
Alina Simone (Brooklyn, NY)
Amanda Blank (Philadelp hia, PA)
Amber Smith (Budapest, HUNGARY)
Angry vs The Bear (Essex, ENGLAND)
Anthony Snape (Sydney, AUSTRALIA)
ARABROT (Oslo, NORWAY)
Arc Angels (Austin, TX)
Asher Roth (Morrisvil le, PA)
Asobi Seksu (Brooklyn, NY)
Astrid Williamson (Shetland Islands, SCOTLAND)
B.o.B. (Atlanta, GA)
Banda de Turistas (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Bar-Kays (Memphis, TN)
Bavu Blakes (Austin, TX)
Ben Kweller (Austin, TX)
Benny Gallagher (West Wickham, ENGLAND)
Black Cherry (London, ENGLAND)
BLACK SKIES (Chapel Hill, NC)
Blaqstarr (Baltimore , MD)
Blue Scholars (Seattle, WA)
Bomba Estereo (Bogota, Columbia)
Brick Bandits (Philadelp hia, PA)
Buck 65 (Halifax, NS)
Buraka Som Sistema (Lisbon, Portugal)
Candy Coated Killahz (Toronto, CANADA)
Cashier No.9 (Belfast, IRELAND)
Casiokids (Bergen, NORWAY)
Charles Hamilton (New York, NY)
Choc Quib Town (Bogota, Columbia)
CHOO-CHOO (Bern, SWITZERLAN D)
Chris T-T (Brighton, ENGLAND)
Come On Gang! (Edinburgh , SCOTLAND)
Crystal Method (Los Angeles, CA)
Crystal Stilts (New York, NY)
Damero (Berlin, Germany)
Danananana ykroyd (Glasgow, Scotland)
Dave Alvin (Los Angeles, CA)
David Garza (Austin, TX)
Dead Prez (New York, NY)
Dekadens (Bucharest , ROMANIA)
Dirtblonde (Liverpool , ENGLAND)
Division Miniscula (Matamoros , Mexico)
Doctor Krapula (Bogota, Columbia)
EBONY BONES! (London, ENGLAND)
Ella (Bristol, ENGLAND)
Empire ISIS (Montreal, CANADA)
Explosions in the Sky (Austin, TX)
Flood of Red (Glasgow, SCOTLAND)
Franki Chan (Los Angeles, CA)
Free Sol (Memphis, TN)
Futumomo Satisfacti on (Tokyo, Japan)
Gabi Almedia (Sao Paolo, Brazil)
Gary Clark Jr. (Austin, TX)
Grimy Styles (Austin, TX)
Hacienda (San Antonio, TX)
Hickoids (Austin, TX)
Ida Maria (Stockholm , Sweden)
Insite (Mexicali, Mexico)
Invincible (Detroit, MI)
Jokers of the Scene (Ottawa, ON)
Kap Bambino (Bordeaux, France)
Kid Sister (Chicago, IL)
Killer Mike (Atlanta, GA)
LA Riots (Los Angeles, CA)
Los Fancy Free (Mexico City, Mexico)
Madi Diaz (Nashville , TN)
Manana (Basil, SWITZERLAN D)
Mandi Perkins (Los Angeles, CA)
Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City, Mexico)
Micachu (London, ENGLAND)
Midnight Youth (Auckland, NEW ZEALAND)
Mika Miko (Los Angeles, CA)
Mike Badger (Liverpool , ENGLAND)
Mistah FAB (Oakland, CA)
Monokino (Amsterdam , THE NETHERLAND S)
Moriarty (Montreuil , FRANCE)
Motel (Mexico City, Mexico)
Mundo Livre Sa (Recife, Brazil)
My Crew Be Unruly (Baltimore , MD)
My Federation (Hove, ENGLAND)
Nacho Vegas (Gijon, Spain)
Nacional (Glasgow, SCOTLAND)
NAVEL (Erschwil, SWITZERLAN D)
Outasight (New York, NY)
P.O.S. (Minneapol is, MN)
Pato Machete (Monterrey , Mexico)
Peter Bjorn & John (Stockholm , Sweden)
Peter Rosenberg (New York, NY)
Port O'Brien (Cambria, CA)
Primal Scream (Glasgow, Scotland)
Reflection Eternal (Ohio/New York)
Rob Quest (Houston, TX)
Sage Francis (Providenc e, RI)
San Quinn (San Francisco, CA)
Scribe (Christchu rch, NZ)
Shad (London, Ontario)
Shawn David McMillen (Austin, TX)
Simplifire s (Mexico City, Mexico)
Soulico (Tel Aviv, Israel)
St. Vincent (Dallas, TX)
Suzy & Los Quattro (Barcelona , Spain)
T Bird & The Breaks (Austin, TX)
Tanya Morgan (Brooklyn, NY)
Temposhark (London, ENGLAND)
The Beat Poets (Belfast, IRELAND)
The Carrivick Sisters (Devon, ENGLAND)
The Courteneer s (Mancheste r, UK)
The deBretts (London, ENGLAND)
The Deep Dark Woods (Saskatoon , CANADA)
the Devil Wears Prada (Dayton, OH)
The Everyday Visuals (Boston, MA)
The Knux (New Orleans, LA)
THE MOOG (Budapest, HUNGARY)
The Pepper Pots (Girona, Spain)
The Sonics (Seattle, WA)
The Temper Trap (Nth Fitzroy, AUSTRALIA)
thecocknbu llkid (London, ENGLAND)
Thee Oh See's (San Francisco, CA)
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb (Pensacola , FL)
Tittsworth (Washingto n, DC)
Tommy Tee (Oslo, Norway)
Toy Horses (Barry, WALES)
Twilight Hotel (Winnipeg, CANADA)
Virgin Passages (London, ENGLAND)
Volodja Balzalorsk y (Ljubljana , SLOVENIA)
WAZ (Los Angeles, CA)
We Have Band (London, ENGLAND)
We Should Be Dead (Limerick, IRELAND)
White Lies (London, ENGLAND)
Whitechape l (Knoxville , TN)
Willem Maker (Turkey Heaven, AL)
Willy Joy (Chicago, IL)
Yarah Bravo (New York, NY)

Rumored, but not officially confirmed by SXSW:

19 Dirty Queens
A Day to Remember
A Skylit Drive
Adam McInnis
Afghan Raiders
Akream of Arctic Flow Rec. & Ice Box Ent.
Alexander Spit
Alina Simone
American Tourist
An Horse
Andrew Bird
Andy Bull
Ann Vriend
Anthony Snape
Arms and Sleepers
Autons
Avitia
AZA
B WILLING
B.o.B
Balthrop, Alabama
The Beat Poets
The Beauvilles
Ben Mallott
Benny Gallagher
Bex Marshall
Bionic Pixie
Birds of Tokyo
Black Cherry
Black Lips
Black Skies
Blue King Brown
BOAC
The Brunettes
The Boat People
The Brothers Movement
BUL!M!ATRO N!
Candy Coated Killahz
Captain Bliss
Casiokids
Cassim
Chase Frank
Choo Choo
Chris Lawson Jones
CLP
Closure in Moscow
The Cocknbullk id
Colin Gilmore
Come On Gang!
Connan Mockasin
Cory Branan
Crossed Keys
Crystal Sunshine
Damon Gowler
DANANANANA YKROYD
Dance Gavin Dance
Dapplied Cities
Dark Captain Light Captain
Dave Wrangler
Death is Not a Joyride
Deathly Fighter
The Deep Dark Woods
Dekadens
The Devil Wears Prada
Dirty Honey
DLake
DNAE BEATS
Donnis is in Cancun
Donte J
Drew Danburry
Eagle Winged Palace
Ebony Bones
The Egg
Elizabeth Wills
The Enright House
The Ettes
The Everyday Visuals
Even Elroy
Fanfarlo
Ferraby Lionheart
The Fever Dreams
Five Times August
Florence and the Machine
Folk and Stress
Future of the Left
Fuckshovel
The Fumes
Funk Bank
Gabriel Minnikin
Gabriella Cilmi
Gallus!
The Gay Blades
GEN.ERIK
Glambilly
Goldielock s
Gordie Tentrees
Grande
The Grand Marquee
The Grates
Graveyard BBQ
Gunslinger s WFMU Showcase
The Hall Monitors
Hank IV Siltbreeze Showcase
Harmsway
Have Gun, Will Travel
Heartless Bastards
The Heart Attacks
Heels Catch Fire
Hey Negrita
Hot Panda
Ian Moore
Innercity Pirates
The Intelligen ce
Ironweed
Jackie Bristow
Jasic
Jason Isbell
Jeremy Jay
Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus
Jimmy Baldwin
John Fairhurst
Joseph Israel
Jump Back Jake
Kamikaze Queens
Karima Francis
Katie Costello
Keaton Simons
Kelli Rudick
Kid Confuscius
The Kin
Kittens Ablaze
KONQISTADO R
Kurt Vile
Le Castle Vania
Les Fauves
Loch Lomond
Lords of Fuzz
Lost Immigrants
The Low Anthem
Louie Fresco
Lower Class Revolt
Lucky Fonz III
Madi Diaz
Magnet School
Manda Mosher
Methadone Kitty & The Daily Dose
Micachu
Michael / Danceism
Midnight Peacocks
Midnight Youth
Modern Day Drifters
Monica Giraldo
Monique Ortiz
The Monthlies SPIN MAGAZINE PARTY
The Moog
Mos Generator
Mother/Fat her
Muck and the Mires
Myjonahpro ject
My Disco
Naked on the Vague
Necropolis
NLF3
Nick Bearden
Nicole Eitner
Nightsweat s
NOVA
The O's
Ocky Goodsounds
OH SNAP!!
Opus Dai
Our Lunar Activities
The Pacific
The Pack A.D.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Paris Wells
The Procliviti es
Paula Maya
Pedro Menendez
Polly Mackey and The Pleasure Principle
Port O'Brien
Pop Unknown
Porterdavi s
Rachael Sage
Rademacher
Randy Weeks
Reason to Rebel
Red Riders
Red Summer
Rediscover
The Resignator s
The River Raid
Roadside Graves
Rob Roy
Rocko Dorsey
Rodney Fisher
Roll the Tanks
Sabbath Crow
Sandi Thom
Sara Haze
Sarah Siskind
Scorpion Child
Scram C Baby
Seabird
Selena Garcia
Senor Furley
The Service Industry
The Slants
The Sleepover Disaster
Seth Glier
Shame Club
Shirock
Sickboy
Sindaddy
Skibunny
SKy Eats Airplane
Smokekille r
Sofia Talvik
Sonpub
Sorry OK Yes
Southeast Engine
Sqweek
Stars Go Dim
Steed Lord
Suckers
Sunset
Tacocat
Tarantist
Temoshark
The Temper Trap
The Thermals
The Tiny
Thee Headliners
This Frontier Needs Heroes
Toy Horses
The Tutts
Twilight Hotel
Two Dollar Bash
Two Sheds
Tyvjk
The Union Trade
The Valentine Failures
The Vaquetones
Virgin Passages
Waves
WAZ
The Weird Weeds
We Have Band
White Circle Crime Club
Whitechape l
Whitey Morgan and the 78s
Willy Joy
Youth Group
Zoroaster

Get Lucky With Maria Taylor!

1-15-09

... and get your mind out of the gutters, all you hairy-palm ed fanboys (and fangirls)... we're talking about getting lucky with a free MP3 and news of a  new album. C'mon, now.

By Blurt Staff

Maria Taylor is set to release her third solo album titled Ladyluck on April 7, via Nettwerk. Teaming up with producer friends Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, Azure Ray and a host of Saddle Creek label mates), Mike Mogis and Lukas Burton and featuring collaborat ions with Michael Stipe, Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes and Mckenzie Smith of Midlake, LadyLuck showcases Taylor's ability to pull at your heart strings while proving she's not a woman down on her luck.

Additional ly, two tracks from the forthcomin g album, "Time Lapse Lifeline" and "Orchids," are available digitally on prerelease as of January 13 (you can preview both at Taylor's MySpace page: www.myspace.com/mariat aylor ). God, those sound good...  "Time Lapse Lifeline," with its orchestral strings and grand melody, tells the story about fast life moves and how everything can change in one moment. Appropriat ely, the song is punctuated by both a driving beat and lingering plaintive vocals, with breaks of near silence for poignant turns of phrase. "Oh we dreamed a life/ it was just like that was just like that/ and just like that and just like that it's done," Taylor sings as lone strings fade out.

"Orchids" will also air on the January 22 episode of Private Practice.

Some random past coverage from "us"  (or thereabout s) on Taylor:

Fun Facts!

Album review!

Tour dates for Taylor will be announced shortly.

 

DOWNLOAD "TIME LAPSE LIFELINE"

There's only one letter's difference between "meta" and "metal," did you notice?

By Fred Mills

Meta meta meta meta meta... you gotta love meta, especially when it relates to the world of music journalism . Remember how this past Friday we told you about Jimmy Page's manager saying once and for all that prospects for a Robert Plant-less Led Zeppelin reunion are dead? And how barely 24 hours early all sorts of media outlets, from the NME to Pitchfork to MTV had been saying a Zep tour was a "go," based on comments from that same manager?

Some of us had been scratching our heads about the uncommonly speedy turnaround , particular ly the way Page manager Peter Mensch had phrased some of his most current comments in an interview with Music Radar. Well, according to updated info from Music Radar, the confusion stemmed from an interview with Mensch that BBC radio published on its website Wednesday morning regarding plans by Page and John Paul Jones to tour and record without Plant - an interview bearing the dateline January 7, 2008, not 2009.

‘nuf said. Some bonehead at the BBC got a good whuppin' over the weekend, no doubt. Read the whole timeline of how things went down at the Music Radar story.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/ca ble/satell ite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

Saturday, January 10:

5:00 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: Neko Case

6:00 Sundance: Live From Abbey Road: Manu Chao, Hoosier, Black Keys

9:00 PBS: Austin City Limits: Paolo Nutini, Grupo Fantasma

10:00 Rave HD: Soundstage : Keane Live at the O2

11:30 NBC: Saturday Night Live - Neil Patrick Harris & Taylor Swift

Sunday, January 11:

2:00 HD Net: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Live at Freedom Hall

3:30 HD Net: Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Live At Radio City Music Hall

5:00 Rave HD: Queen - Live from Montreal

5:00 HD Net Gwen Stefani - Harajuku Lovers

6:30 HD Net: Black Eyed Peas - Live from Sydney to Vegas

8:00 HD Net: Todd Rundgren: The Arena Tour - Premiere

8:00 & 11:00 Rave HD: Elvis Costello Live in Montreal

Monday, January 12:

4:45 Sundance: The Rock and Roll Kid (Danny Sveinson)

6:00 VH1 Classic: Heavy: The Story of Metal

10:00 Dave Fanning Interview: Radiohead

10:00 Beautiful Noise: British Sea Power

11:00 VH1 Classic: Neil Young Heart of Gold

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: All American Rejects

12:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello w/the Police

12:05 ABC: Jimmy Kimmel: The Fray

Full-lengt h followup to acclaimed '08 EP. 

By Blurt Staff

With her debut full-lengt h, Songs in the Night, Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers deliver a shuddering ly beautiful unique batch of songs in a style that's been described as "meshing freak folk with a deep-seate d, dust-bowel soul." The 22-year-ol d Shawnee, OK  native's haunting voice, well-chose n words and emotional depth ring true in a way that sets her apart from most artists of her generation . Picking up where her critically acclaimed 2008 Ramseur Records EP, The Confiscati on, leaves off, we find Crain - a Choctaw Indian from Oklahoma who's been described as a kind of distaff Neil Young - presenting each song with an unfeigned fervor as her voice rises and falls over the panorama painted by the Midnight Shivers and their roots-infu sed, fertile arrangemen ts.

 Songs In the Night plays out to wander confidentl y in the badlands where abrasive, jangly indie rock and smooth, whispery folk meet. Along with her band the Midnight Shivers (Jacob Edwards, Andrew Tanz and Stephen Sebastian) , Crain recorded all 11 tracks in five days at Asheville, NC's Echo Mountain Studios with producer Danny Kadar (Grizzly Bear, My Morning Jacket, The Avett Brothers), and the album captures the organic, rural feel of the sessions.  Songs in the Night chronicles the fear Crain saw in herself and those around her who assumed that embracing health and clarity would, in turn, destroy every particle of poetry and each grain of ingenuity dwelling within them as artists.

In these songs, Crain finds inspiratio n to be found beyond the crutches of anxiety and self-conte mpt.  For her, a soul removed from a dim and murky den is a breeding-g round for vision and artistry, set to realize its full potential.  Songs In the Night is Crain's account of this excavation .  As the album unfolds, listeners can rest easy knowing they are not experienci ng illusions and the band can be comforted with the reassuranc e that they delivered something that is genuine. &nbs p;

It's due April 28 from NC's Ramseur.

[Photo Credit: Samantha Lamb Photograph y]

Been a long time since we rock and rolled... NOT.

By Fred Mills

So everyone exhale now. Despite hyperventi lating media reports - such as this one at Just Press Play, Idolator, Pitchfork and even, uh BLURT - about a Led Zeppelin reunion minus vocalist Robert Plant, it is now officially a dead issue. An issue that is pushing up daisies. Singing with the choir invisible. An ex-Zeppeli n.

Recall that Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, along with Bonzo's kid Jason Bonham, plus an as-yet-uns pecified replacemen t singer (that, until yesterday, oddsmakers and Creed fans were saying it would be Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy), had been floating the notion for months in the aftermath of Plant stating emphatical ly that he would not tour with a reconstitu ted Zep. But yesterday Plant manager Peter Mensch, who himself hadn't exactly downplayed the rumors, finally put the matter to rest, speaking to Music Radar (and later confirming with Rolling Stone), that plans for a Plant-less tour and album are no longer.

"Led Zeppelin are over!" stated Mensch. "If you didn't see them in 2007 [when they played a one-off reunion at London's O2 Arena], you missed them. It's done. I can't be any clearer than that.

"They tried out a few singers, but no one worked out. That was it. The whole thing is completely over now. There are absolutely no plans for them to continue. Zero. Frankly, I wish everybody would stop talking about it."

Well, all right then. We shall!

Meanwhile, though, folks who attended the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam back in December got a Led Zep set courtesy of John Paul Jones and Gov't Mule - Haynes' vocals, in particular , channeled Plant amazingly. It was almost like seeing Zep back in '74, in fact... yeah, it's been less than a month since we rock and rolled. We'd pay good money to see a Mule-Jones tour, no lie.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/ca ble/satell ite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

Thursday, January 15:

2:00 VH1 Classic: Classic Albums: Nirvana - Nevermind; Metallica - Black Album; Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

4:00 Rave HD: From the Basement: PJ Harvey, Super Furry Animals, Free Blood, Operator Pleas

5:00 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: My Morning Jacket

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: Mutemath

12:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello w/Rufus Wainwright

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Crooked X

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Fred Armison

12:35 ABC Craig Ferguson: Glasvegas

1:35 NBC Carson Daly: Puddle of Mudd

Friday, January 16:

3:00 VH1 Classic: Led Zeppelin The Song Remains The Same

4:00 Rave HD: Soundstage : Tori Amos

9:00 Sundance: Live From Abbey Road: Matchbox 20, The Script, Def Leppard

10:00 Rave HD: Amy Winehouse Live at the Porchster

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Airborne Toxic Event

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Saah Silverman, Delta Spirit

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Amos Lee

1:35 NBC Carson Daly: 3OH!3

[Photo Credit: Sara Cass]

Also discloses that "dog" spelled backwards is God!

By Fred Mills

Good Monday morning to you. Scanning the British music news headlines, we find this tantalizin g tidbit, courtesy News of the World: tattooed crack fiend Amy Winehouse has declared that she's started the new year off completely free of drugs.

"I've finally escaped from hell," Winehouse told a reporter. "I'm in love again and I don't need drugs. Look at me, I'm glowing!... I can definitely say I AM off the drugs. I haven't touched anything since I arrived and I feel the best I have in years."

The "glowing" part, Winehouse further disclosed, had to do with her meeting a new boyfriend, Josh Bowman, while on vacation in St. Lucia, where the interview took place. Apparently the pair had just had sex, and Winehouse, fueled by Marlboro Lights and what the article describes as "a never ending flow of lethal flame-red strawberry daiquiris, " took great delight in outlining Bowman's prowess while denigratin g her estranged husband Blake's ("he was rubbish in bed").

Wow. TMI! Read the entire interview if you dare (there's exclusive video footage as well), but you might lose your breakfast, so best to do read it in the john. In fact, Winehouse appears to be prompting a fair amount of stomach churning at the exclusive resort she's been staying at, as evidenced by these quotes the reporter obtained from another guest:

"I've been here two weeks and every day I pray she's gone home. But then you see her crawling out of her room looking a total mess and think, ‘Her e we go again.' She's just allowed to run riot. She dresses like a cross between a tramp and a prostitute and I've never once seen her wear any shoes for dinner. She's just out of control. Our peaceful break has been ruined by her.

"Every night we go to the piano bar and the profession al player can't entertain us because Amy's taken over. And she can't even play. She just jabs at odd notes and is usually so drunk she can barely hold a note. If I have to listen to her do Puppy Love again I think I'll kill her. The first day I thought it was quite exciting having a celebrity there-but believe me, the novelty soon wears off. I can't for a minute understand what that handsome well-spoke n boy is doing with her."

Er, three guesses what Bowman is doing with her, and why he's doing it!

This is a public service announceme nt, with guitars, natch...

By Blurt Staff

Anti-Flag are headlining DEMAND IN DC on Inaugurati on Day, January 20^th at The Black Cat (1811 14^th St. NW; www.blackcatdc .com). Demand in DC: Applauding the Empowermen t of People Thru Art, Film, and Music will take place at 7:30 pm. Tickets: are available HERE.

 In response to the historic and dramatic election of Barack Obama, Anti-Flag continue their plight to encourage young people, musicians and artists to be committed activists in their communitie s. This show of art and music is meant as an act of empowermen t in an exciting and critical time in our country.

Supporting bands are Darkest Hour, United Nations, The A.K.A.s, and Ruiner. Artists that have contribute d to the event will include HorseBites , Charles Stanley Doll IV, Mike Ski, Mitch Clem, Erik Davidson, David S. Holloway, Kencredibl e and Ben Lande. Local sponsor, Shirts for a Cure will auction off four Quilts for a Cure made from over 200 band shirts created to benefit cancer research since Shirts for a Cure's inception.

Meanwhile, Anti-Flag is working on a new album (keep tabs at www.anti-flag.com) for a 2009 release, most likely to coincide with the Warped Tour this summer.  And frontman Justin Sane continues to be a wildly popular blogger for BLURT; you can view his blog HERE.

Psych monsters get all seventies on us...

By Blurt Staff

Universal Malcontent s is the name, being a killer psych band from Detroit is the game. You guessed it: Outrageous Cherry is en route with a new album on Feb. 17, courtesy Alive Naturalsou nd Records. It's their ninth release and it's being described as showcasing their "distincti ve mid-sevent ies sensibilit ies... evocative of artists such as early Roxy Music, Mott the Hoople, Sparks, 10cc and Eno as well as at times the improvisat ional realms charted by Amon Duul 2, Man, and early Soft Machine."

The first pressing of the vinyl version will be on orange wax and limited to 800 copies. You know you need it.

The scoop on the band:

Hailing from Detroit, and named after a bright red hair dye, Outrageous Cherry has reached well-deser ved cult status by releasing amazing psych/pop albums on labels such as Bar None, Mind Expansion, and Alan McGee's Poptones, to name just a few. Many of their songs have appeared in movies, and their cover version of "Lord Have Mercy on Me", recorded for Fat Possum's Junior Kimbrough' s tribute album, graced the opening credits of the film "Black Snake Moan".

Main man singer/son gwriter Matthew Smith has also produced albums for the Go, Nathaniel Mayer, Paul "Wine" Jones, and others, and has played with Epic Soundtrack s, Andre Williams, the Witches, and Destroy All Monsters. Guitarist Larry Ray was a member of 70's Detroit rockers the Ivories, and played with legendary psych/folk guitarist Ted Lucas (Spike Drivers/Mi sty Wizards). Bassist Sean Ellwood was a member of the Cyril Lords and Reptile Forcefield , while drummer Samantha Linn has played with Little Claw and the Arch Mystics.



FREE MP3:

 I Wouldn't Treat My Enemies The Way You Treat Yourself

By Blurt Staff

Merge Records has announced more in 2009's 20th Anniversar y festivitie s:  XX MERGE, five days of live music from Merge artists past and present taking place in the label's native North Carolina July 22-26. Lineup and ticket informatio n will be announced shortly.

XX Merge will be commemorat e the 20th anniversar y of the Merge label, which began in 1989 in Chapel Hill NC, with a handful of 4-track recordings , a couple of cassette tapes, and some hand-stuff ed 7" vinyl. Literally hundreds of singles, albums, and late nights later, Merge will be celebratin g its past, present and future throughout 2009. XX Merge will be the label's party to mark this anniversar y.

In other Merge 20th news, The Shins are the latest contributo rs to hand in their track for the Merge covers album featured in the SCORE! Merge Records: The First 20 Years subscripti on-only box set, joining a line-up featuring Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, Death Cab For Cutie, The National, the New Pornograph ers and many others. SCORE! subscriber s will receive the covers collection a month ahead of its April retail release.

It was also announced this morning that the subscripti on deadline for SCORE! has been extended to January 11. SCORE! is a year's worth of music and exclusive artwork and bonus material available exclusivel y via subscripti on at the following link: http://www .mergerecor ds.com/score

Subscriber s will receive 14 Merge compilatio ns curated by the likes of Peter Buck, Amy Poehler, David Byrne, Miranda July and Jonathan Lethem, the SCORE! Covers album of non-Merge artists playing their favorite tracks from the Merge catalogue, a remix collection featuring reinterpre tations of Merge classics, the MRG discograph y cover art book, and bonuses including a full-lengt h Scharpling & Wurster CD, Superchunk 's digital-on ly live bootleg The Clambakes Vol 4.: Sur La Bouche--Li ve in Montreal 1993, and many more.

All proceeds from SCORE! Merge Records: The First 20 Years project will benefit specific charitable causes handpicked by the curators.

Stooges legend's death brings out the graverobbe rs.

By Fred Mills

Michigan's Mlive.com is reporting that, in the wake of the death of Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, the Asheton family has had to change the locks of his Ann Arbor house and hire private security to monitor the property. Apparently unspecifie d individual s had been attempting to take guitars and possibly other items from the premises and load them into a van, and this led to a dispute between Asheton's personal assistant and his sister. Police were called and the assistant told them that the sister assaulted her; the incident is currently under investigat ion.

The police instructed everyone to leave the guitars, which are considered quite valuable, in the house.

Asheton's body was found early Tuesday morning and an autopsy has been performed but results have not been released yet (foul play is not suspected) .

Meanwhile, the Detroit and Ann Arbor areas have experience d an outpouring of sentiment for Asheton. A funeral has not been announced yet. Read the related story HERE.

And maybe, just maybe, the schmucks at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will finally see fit to induct the Stooges into their Cleveland fun house....

Part of the 7 Worlds Collide project in New Zealand.

By Fred Mills

Radiohead fan site AtEaseweb.com is reporting on the activity of Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien down under in Auckland, New Zealand, at the latest installmen t of the 7 Worlds Collide project at the Powerstati on); 7WC was put together by Crowded House's Neil Finn and features the two Radiohead men, Liam Finn, KT Tunstall, Johnny Marr and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.

Apparently drummer Selway debuted a new solo song titled "The Family Madness" just him on guitar and vocals, on Monday night. Tweedy himself got into a Radiohead mood, fronting the band for a version of "Fake Plastic Trees."

See some rough-but- watchable YouTube footage of Selway doing his song, below. Does this portend a Selway solo album? Or perhaps an advance peek at a tune that will wind up on a Radiohead album proper?

Covering Dylan, Springstee n, Clash, Bowie and others.

By Fred Mills

Just announced: the track listing for Heroes, a new charity compilatio n for Britain's Warchild organizati on, which works with children affected by war in Iraq, Afghanista n, the Congo and Uganda. A slew of contempora ry artists, including Beck, the Hold Steady, TV On The Radio, Rufus Wainwright , the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Hot Chip have contribute d tracks in which they cover everyone from Dylan, the Clash and Paul McCartney to Bowie, the Ramones and Bruce Springstee n. It's due out in America on Feb. 24 via Astralwerk s. The full track listing is below.

According to War Child website:

‘War Child: Heroes' is an unpreceden ted collaborat ion between music's most heralded legends and the finest current artists. We asked 15 ultimate icons to select a favourite song from their classic back catalogue and to nominate the new act they most trust to create a unique interpreta tion of that hand-picke d track.

This album is the result: 15 exclusive and breath-tak ing cover versions. The album will be released in the UK by Parlophone and internatio nally by EMI on February 16. In the USA it will be released by Astralwerk s on February 24 and in Canada on Quebecor on March 3. All UK profits made by our record label EMI will be donated to War Child to help protect children living in the world's most dangerous war zones. 

For more details, go to the War Child site.

Track listing:

1. Beck   &nbs p; (Bob Dylan: Leopard-Sk in Pill-Box Hat)  
2. Scissor Sisters  &nbs p; (Roxy Music: Do The Strand)  
3. Lily Allen  &nbs p; (The Clash: Straight To Hell)  
4. Duffy  &nbs p; (Paul McCartney: Live And Let Die)  
5. Elbow  ; &nb sp; (U2: Running To Stand Still)  
6. TV On The Radio  &nbs p; (David Bowie: Heroes)  
7. Hot Chip   &nbs p; (Joy Division: Transmissi on)  
8. The Kooks  ; &nb sp; (The Kinks: Victoria)  
9. Estelle  &nbs p; (Stevie Wonder: Superstiti on)  
10. Rufus Wainwright  &nbs p;  (Brian Wilson: Wonderful/ Song For Children)  
11. Peaches&nb sp; & nbsp; (Iggy Pop: Search And Destroy)  
12. The Hold Steady&nbs p; &n bsp; (Bruce Springstee n: Atlantic City)  
13. The Like   &nbs p; (Elvis Costello: You Belong To Me)  
14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs  &nbs p; (The Ramones: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker)  
15. Franz Ferdinand& nbsp;  ;  (Blondie: Call Me)  

Celebratin g the 43 Presidents compilatio n as well as serving as a benefit for Bands for Lands.

By Fred Mills

This weekend in Washington , DC, a very special celebratio n is taking place. No, not another inaugural party... those are so, like, next week. (Anybody else experience pre-inaugu ration burnout?) On Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue there will be a Bands for Lands bash, and sure, while it's billed as "celebrati ng the Presidenti al inaugurati on," it's also an opportunit y to celebrate the wonderful Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidenci es, the three-CD set that was released earlier this year containing , you guessed it, 43 separate songs each focusing on a single U.S. President and featuring performanc es by Alan Sparhawk (Low), Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters/S un Kil Moon), Califone, Xiu Xiu, Bill Callahan, Radar Bros., Rosie Thomas, Denison Witmer, Tom Brosseau, Marla Hansen, Wooden Wand and others.

It was put together by J. Matthew Gerkin, Jefferson Pitcher and BLURT contributo r Christian Kiefer, and you can read our review of it HERE, or find out more about it at the official website, www.43presiden cies.com.

Incidental ly, Kiefer promises BLURT that the 44^th presidenti al song - about guess who? - will be unveiled this week.

So the titanic trio of Gerkin, Pitcher and Kiefer have dressed the dang thing up for the stage, and they've lined up quite a roster of talent to perform songs from the collection . In addition to those three musicians, among those that have been announced are Nellie McKay, Jukebox the Ghost, These United States, Laura Burhenn, Tim Fite, Joe Pug, Denison Witmer, Silver Darling and Hiss Golden Messenger. By the time of the show there should be even more scheduled to take the stage.

These United States will also be doing a special opening set. Hey - you're going to Washington next week anyway, right? Might as well show up a few days early. Feel free to crash at the BLURT penthouse suite. We're just down the road in Silver Spring, after all...

Meanwhile, check out the amazing video for "Washingto n Dreams of the Hippopotam us" (by Vince DiFiore, of Cake), below. It brings new meaning to the concept of a "puppet government "....

Bubbling under: Roots Manuva and, uh, Coldplay.

By Blurt Staff

Art Vinyl today announced the winner of Best Art Vinyl 2008 with the Fleet Foxes' self-title d album taking first place, Roots Manuva's Slime & Reason coming second and Coldplay's Viva La Vida third with over 3,000 people casting their vote.

2008 winners display an interestin g mix of classical influence as the Fleet Foxes' cover utilizes Pieter the Elder's Netherland ish Proverbs originally painted in the 17th century, while Roots Manuva's classical bust is given a modern twist with the green glow of the 'slime' and Coldplay use Eugene Delacroix' s Liberty Leading the People to great effect.

"For the past four years" Andrew Heeps, Art Vinyl's director comments, "the Best Art Vinyl award has very much celebrated the work of new emerging artists and graphic designers, so this year it has been a real surprise to see how some past artistic works have proven to be so popular from 2008's record cover designs."

The Fleet Foxes join a list of other winners that include The Cribs' Man's Needs, Woman's Needs, Whatever, Hard-Fi's Stars of CCTV and Thom Yorke's The Eraser in what has been a great year for the vinyl format.

Andrew Heeps goes on to say, "Vinyl sales are seriously on the up and the artwork is an increasing ly important and tactile element to the consumptio n of modern music. We're delighted that so many bands and record labels want to produce work that is so visually exciting and stimulatin g. I believe that the Best Art Vinyl award has proved to be a unique snap shot of art and graphic design that has sat side by side with popular culture and will become the visual stamp of the music of 2008."

From Jan 5th the Best Art Vinyl 2008 winners will be featured in U.K. exhibition s at Rough Trade East, London, Snap Galleries in Birmingham , Fishmarket Gallery in Northampto n and the Perfect Pad Gallery in Norwich. All of the designs will be displayed in the Play & Display Flip Frame.

BEST ART VINYL 2008 - NOTES ON THE TOP THREE

1st: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Bella Union)
Website: www.subpop.com/artist s/fleet_fo xes
Designer: Dusty Summers, Sasha Barr, & Robin Pecknold
Original painting: Netherland ish Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder from 1559

Comment from Simon Raymonde (Bella Union label manager):
"The whole package of Fleet Foxes, from the wonderful sleeve, the lyrics and the music, is what every A&R man/label boss dreams of when signing a new band. Robin had this image by Breugel in his mind for the sleeve even before they'd finished the album and we researched how we would be able to get use of it, as it did seem SO perfect an image for the band. It wasn't easy and thankfully the fine folks at SUBPOP helped out and sorted out the rights to the painting. One of Breugel's recurrent themes in his paintings were Peasants and listening to the band's song Tiger Mountain Peasant Song DOES conjure up such rich imagery. It isnt often that artwork is commented on during reviews but this album sleeve seemed to really resonate both with reviewers and the public at large. Thanks to everyone who enjoyed the artwork and i know the band will be delighted."

2nd: Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason (Big Dada)
Website: www.rootsmanuv a.co.uk/rootsma nuva/  
Design: Oscar Bauer and Ewan Robertson at Oscar & Ewan
Photograph y: Pelle Crepin

3rd: Coldplay - Viva la Vida (EMI)
Designer: Art direction & design Tappin Gofton
Original painting: Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix from 1830

BEST ART VINYL 2008 - GALLERY EVENTS

Rough Trade East / 15th January - 18th February 2009
Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL
Tel: 0207 392 7788
http://www .roughtrade .com/

 

Snap Galleries / 5th January - 18th February 2009
Fort Dunlop, Fort Parkway, Birmingham B24 9FD
Tel: 0121 748 3408
www.snapgaller ies.com  

The Fishmarket Gallery / 5th January - 17th January 2009
Bradshaw St., Northampto n, NN1 2HL
Tel: 01604 639090
www.fishmarket gallery.co.uk  

The Perfect Pad Gallery / 5th January - 18th February 20009
15-15a Lower Goat Lane, Norwich Lanes, Norwich NR2 1EL
Tel: 01603 765766
www.theperfect pad.co.uk  

BEST ART VINYL 2008 - THE TOP 50 SHORTLIST

1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
2. Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason
3. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
4. Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
5. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
6. Metallica - Death Magnetic
7. Bloc Party - Intimacy
8. Low Motion Disco - Keep it Slow
9. Santogold - Santogold
10. Zombie Zombie - Dog Walker
11. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understate ment
12. Alter Ego - Jolly Joker Remixes
13. Black Devil Disco Club - Eight O Eight
14. Undergroun d Railroad - Sticks and Stones
15. London Elektricit y - Syncopated City
16. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles EP 2/3
17. Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago
18. Nancy Elizabeth - Battle & Victory
19. Foals - Antidotes
20. Liquid Liquid - Slip in & Out of the Phenomenon
21. The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
22. GAS - GAS
23. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
24. Hauschka - Ferndorf
25. F**k Buttons - Colours Move
26. Douglas Armour - The Light of a Golden Day, The Arms of The Night
27. Siriusmo - All the Girls
28. High Places - High Places
29. Yult Koldmane - Opposite Influence
30. Cat Power - Jukebox
31. Born Ruffians - Red Yellow and Blue
32. Micah P. Hinson - And the Red Empire Orchestra
33. Bomb the Bass - Future Chaos
34. No Age - Nouns
35. White Denim - Workout Holiday
36. Primal Scream - Beautiful Future
37. Stereolab - Chemical Chords
38. The Whip - X Marks Destinatio n
39. Death Set - Worldwide
40. Hercules & Love Affair - Blind
41. Grovesnor - Drive Your Car
42. Figurines - Hey Girl
43. Laurent Garnier - Back to my Roots
44. Tame Impala - Tame Impala
45. The Courteener s - St Jude
46. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
47. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
48. The Accidental - There were Wolves
49. Ladyhawk - Shots
50. Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

They call this an instance of the chickens coming home to roost...

By Fred Mills

Prince is one litigious sonofabitc h. He likes to sue folks for trading live bootlegs. He likes to sue folks for building fan websites. He likes to sue people who pay tribute to him by recording or performing his music. He likes to sue people who reproduce his likeness in public regardless whether or not it's for publicity or profit. We're not certain, but we think he even likes to sue people that write about the fact that he likes to sue people. Gulp!

At any rate, now comes word that the tables have been turned: Prince has been sued (emphasis on past tense - the little-kno wn lawsuit was filed nearly 15 years ago) by a pair of Italian songwriter s, Bruno Bergonzi and Michele Vicino, for the similarity between their 1983 song "Takin' Me To Paradise" and his 1994 hit "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World." The case has been on appeal since 2003, and an Italian court has finally ruled that Prince "borrowed heavily" from the other two songwriter s. A final hearing will take place, and if that comes down in favor of Bergonzi and Vicino, His Purpleness will have to stop distributi ng the song on Italian territory and pay some pretty substantia l back royalties.

Fun! That sobbing sound coming from a Minneapoli s recording studio? Why, did you ever wonder what it sounds like... wait for it... when doves cry?

Black Moses and Juicy Fruit headed this way via Stax on Feb.24.

By Blurt Staff

We've paid tribute to Isaac Hayes at BLURT a couple of times since his passing last year, including a remembranc e by yours truly and a really moving article penned by former Stax Records engineer Terry Manning. Now comes word that Hayes' legendary album for 1971, Black Moses, is getting the deluxe reissue treatment alongside his 1976 disco record, Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak), both courtesy Stax.

Here's the scoop, direct from the label:

Isaac Hayes' epic 1971 album Black Moses, which captured the artist at the peak of his popularity , will be reissued on Stax Records on February 24, 2009. The release is a complete replicatio n of the original Black Moses package, folding out into a cross-shap ed image of the artist. The album was re-mastere d from the original tapes. New liner notes are by Rob Bowman, the Grammy Award-winn ing Stax scholar and author of Soulsville U.S.A: The Story of Stax Records.

 
Also on February 24, Stax will reissue Hayes' 1976 disco album, Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak), originally released on Hayes' ABC Records-di stributed Hot Buttered Soul label and recorded at his own Memphis studio with many of his long-time band members.  This will be its first time on CD. Music historian Bill Dahl contribute d liner notes to the reissue.

 
Stax Records was re-launche d by Concord Music Group in 2007, the year of the legendary soul label's 50th Anniversar y.

 
Black Moses, a 14-song two-album set that will be reissued on two CDs, reached #1 on Billboard's soul album chart and #10 pop, remaining on the charts for 40 weeks. Bowman describes it as "a wondrously crafted, intense evocation of the vagaries of love gone bad," which Hayes himself corroborat ed: "I was going through some emotional turmoil. You can tell by the tunes on the album that I was going through a break-up of my marriage. It was the only way I could express myself."

 
The album may be best remembered by its lead single, Hayes' signature version of the Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye," which was on the radio months before the rest of the album had been completed. Other highlights include the Bacharach- David-penn ed Carpenters hit, "Close to You," Toussaint McCall's "Nothing Takes the Place of You," the Curtis Mayfield-a uthored Gene Chandler hit "Man's Temptation ," Little Johnnie Taylor's "Part Time Love," Kenny Gamble and Thom Bell's Aretha Franklin hit "A Brand New Me," Luther Ingram's "Help Me Love," Curtis Mayfield's "Need To Belong," the Whispers' "Your Love Is so Doggone Good," Kris Kristoffer son's "For the Good Times," which had been a hit for Ray Price, Bacharach- David's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and the Hayes compositio n "Good Love." "Isaac's ability to take other people's material and make it so deeply personal is nothing short of brilliant, " writes Bowman.

 
As the ‘70s progressed , Hayes adjusted admirably to the disco onslaught. On his exit from Stax, he released four albums in a little over a year (Chocolate Chip, Disco Connection , Groove-A-T hon and finally Juicy Fruit [Disco Freak]) while launching his career as a movie star in Three Tough Guys and Truck Turner. Hayes was loyal to his band members (known as the Movement) and many of them are featured on Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) including drummer Willie Hall, keyboardis t/co-arran ger Lester Snell and guitarists Michael Toles and Charles "Skip" Pitts. Trumpeter Ben Cauley was a member of the Bar-Kays who survived the tragic 1967 plane crash that claimed the life of Otis Redding. Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) is also one of the few Hayes albums written entirely by Hayes and includes several noteworthy songs including "Let's Don't Ever Blow Our Thing," "The Storm Is Over" and "Music to Make Love By."
 

Hayes' unexpected death on August 10, 2008 at the age of 65 robbed us of future soulful treasures, but we can rediscover R&B classics like Black Moses and overlooked gems like Juicy Fruit and groove anew on his extraordin ary musical vision.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/ca ble/satell ite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

Tuesday, January 13:

11:00 VH1 Classic: The Bee Gees Story

11:30 Rave HD: City Sessions: Girlman & Laura Jansen

1:30 Rave HD: Dave Fanning interview: Slash

2:00 Vh1 Classic: Roy Orbison - Live in Australia

6:00 Rave HD: From the Basement: Sonic Youth, Jose Gonzalez, Laura Marling

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: John Legend

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: David Cook

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Susan Tedeschi

12:35 CBS Craig Ferguson: Submarines

1:35 NBC Carson Daly: Ben Harper

Wednesday, January 14:

9:00 syndicated : Ellen Degeneres: Seal

2:00 VH1 Classic: Prince - Paisley Park

2:00 Rave HD: Soundstage : Lifehouse

4:00 & 12:00 midnight: VH1 Classic: Krush Groove

8:00 Rave HD: Kaiser Chiefs - Live at the Trabendo

9:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello w/Rufus Wainwright

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Randy Rogers Band

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: Brett Dennen (groan...)

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Patty Loveless

[Photo Credit: Derek Trucks]

Los Angeles gears up for a big-ass west coast swearing-i n ceremony...

By Jose Martinez

With scalpers asking for thousands of dollars for tickets to President- elect Barack Obama's highly anticipate d inaugurati on in Washington , DC, the city of Los Angeles is preparing to celebrate change West Coast style.

Billed as the city's only inaugurati on ball, the celebratio n is being called the "Art of Change" Inaugural Ball and will be held at the famed Mayan in downtown L.A. next Tuesday, January 20. Held in conjunctio n with the Washington , DC "Art of Change" Official Inaugural Ball, these two parties will be linked via Web cam and Internet so that others all over the world can watch and participat e.

Presented by Wonderland adVentures , entertainm ent will be provided courtesy of The Crystal Method, as well as Burning Man sensation The Mutaytor, featuring a cast of roughly two-dozen performers ; currently an 11-piece modern analog and electronic dance orchestra, plus a 15-member visual team creating a rapid fire  succession  of&n bsp;futuri stic, vaudevilli an th eatre and c horeograph ed da nce acts, coupled with breathtaki ng feats of aerial performanc e, giant screen visuals and unique reinterpre tations of the circus arts.

Revelers, asked to attend in creative formal attire (it is a Ball after all), can watch Obama's Inaugurati on Speech on the BIG SCREEN while noshing on healthy food from  Carbon Grill (a farmer's market favorite). Following the speech, San Francisco' s DJ Motion Potion will spin prior to the live performanc es.

VJ Victorious  from Visual Symphony (as seen at Coachella) will be doing a commemorat ive audio/visu al display unveiled for the first time at the "Art of Change" Inaugural Ball.

Commemorat ive poster art will be available by artist&nbs p;Seth Balliett, and Chocolate Obama heads will be on hand thanks to HipHop Chocolate in both dark and while chocolate, and some swirled.

Obamanatio n T-Shirts - front of tee reads: "From Abominatio n to Obama-nati on" will be on sale with a percentage of sales going to Burners Without Borders (www.burnerswit houtborder s.org).

Rev. Gadget and t he full-funct ion, plug-in Battery Electric Vehicle&nb sp;(EV), the E colectrica Speedster/ EV wi ll be present. Party goers will be able to discover the economical and environmen tally friendly advantages derived from owning a freeway capable, electric drive car with a 140-mile range and sports car performanc e. 

If there was ever a time and reason to let loose and celebrate, forget New Years Eve - that's amateur hour, now is it! After eight scary years Tuesday night looks to usher in a new, anything-i s-possible era.

Wonderland adVentures ' "Art of Change" Inaugural Ball will be held January 20 at The Mayan (www.clubmayan.com). Doors open at 7PM and Obama's inaugurati on speech will be shows at 8PM. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at http://ina ugural.beticketin g.com.

Covers of Beach Boys, Clash and the "Pete and Pete" theme - what's not to like?

By Blurt Staff

Cali math-rocke rs Tera Melos, on self-enfor ced hiatus while looking for a new drummer, will be rearing their pointy little heads again this month when they hit the road for some western tour dates with said new drummer.  Full itinerary is below.

Meanwhile, in their so called "downtime, " founding member Nick Reinhart managed to write and record a full-lengt h album in his new band he started with Zach Hill called bygones. The album entitled by- will see a March 2009 release on Sargent House.

Also, Tera Melos found time to record a new digital covers EP, Idioms Vol. I, and as a value-adde d incentive to fans, they are giving it away for free. Tracks from the Beach Boys, Clash, Pixies, Weezer and Polaris can be yours. Just go to this link and you'll be glad you did:

http://www .teramelosm usic.com/idioms .html

Idioms Vol I - Track Listing

1) &n bsp;    Meant For You (Beach Boys)
2) Koka Kola (The Clash)
3) Tame (Pixies)
4) Blast Off! (Rivers Cuomo)
5) Hey Sandy (Polaris) - yes it's the Pete & Pete Theme Song

Tera Melos Tour Dates:

Jan 21st Café ; Coda Chico, CA
Jan 22nd The Vera Project Seattle, WA w/Astronau talis & Every-body
Jan 23rd The Artistery Portland, OR w/Astronau talis & Every-body
Jan 24th IKE Box Salem, OR
Jan 25th Luigi's Fun Garden Sacramento , CA w/ Sbach & Them Hills
Jan 26th Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, CA w/ Them Hills
Jan 28th TBA
Jan 29th Living Room Tuscon, AZ
Jan 30th First Unitarian Church Phoenix, AZ

Twisted blooze like ya mama warned ya...

By Blurt Staff

Brooklyn's Bottle Up & Go are gearing up for a run of dates in January and have unveiled a brand new song being made available to fans as a free download. Bottle Up & Go are Keenan Mitchell on guitar and vocals, Fareed Sajan on drums and sometimes Lucas Carico providing occasional horn blasts. 

Bottle Up & Go released These Bones (Kill Normal Records) to rave reviews in the fall of ‘08.  Here's what BLURT had to say: "Guitarist /vocalist Keenan Mitchell and drummer Fareed Sajan blaze through the seven tracks on their debut with all due haste and venom, stirring up a hornet's nest of clanging distorto-s lide guitars, popped-ves sel shout vocals, and recklessly unhinged drumming...BU&G may have achieved on one seven-song EP the genre immolation Jon Spencer spent most of the '80s and '90s trying to ignite."

That previously unreleased and freshly recorded song, "Day I Die" can be downloaded here:

http://rom ans.cc/Day_I_D ie.wav

The track is from a recent home-recor ding session done in December.  Drummer, Fareed Sajan, describes the song as "an indication of a new skin for Bottle Up & Go, one that has grown atop the old worn in skin of blues tradition."  Adding, "I think the new track showcases BU&G's urgency and expands on our continual experiment ation with interpreti ng the blues."

Bottle Up & Go Tour Dates:

1/15 - Washington DC - Black Cat*

1/16 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar*

1/17 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's*

1/18 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsbu rg*

1/22 - Manhattan, NY, Studio @ Webster Hall%

1/23 - Swathmore, PA, Olde Club @ Swarthmore College%

1/24 - Middletown , CT, Eclectic @ Wesleyan University %

2/15 - New Haven, CT, Cafe Nine (w/ Deer Tick)

*w/Nightma re of Your and US Royalty

% w/US Royalty

[Photo Credit: Victoria Jacob]

Radiohead- and Yo La Tengo-appr oved legends rear their oddly-groo med heads once again.

By Fred Mills

Hipsters know, and the little girls definitely understand : the Monks were the shit. One of the wildest ever garage bands who literally defined the term "proto-pun k," the sixties terrorists are about to get the deluxe reissue treatment courtesy Light In The Attic Records. En route on April 14 from the label are two lavishly packaged and lovingly researched reissues (available on CD, LP, and digital download): The Early Years 1964-1965 as well as their landmark studio album Black Monk Time.

According to the label, numerous period photograph s (many unseen) and an extensive two-part essay by Canadian music journalist Kevin Howes (Rodriguez - Cold Fact, Jamaica - Toronto series) accompany both releases and tell the Monks story like it has never been told. Bonus material dating back to pre-Monks Torquays and up to post Black Monk Time 7"s are also included.

Hype:

Today the words "garage," "psych," and "punk" are ubiquitous - but in the mid-1960s there was only one group that clearly defined them. The Monks were five beat-playi ng American GIs stationed in Germany who, after their discharge, decided to stay and continue their musical mission. With a team of local managers they transforme d into a holy racket like the world had never witnessed. The Monks birthed the above genres through a fuzz-drenc hed sound, bursting with social commentary and future primitive rhythms. Krautrock? It started here.

"You can hear their influence across the decades."
- Colin Greenwood, Radiohead

"It was just guitar, bass and drums but they made them sound like nobody had ever made them sound before.... the Monks were inventing music for themselves ."
- Ira Kaplan, Yo La Tengo

Sure, it's hype - this time, though, bubba, it's all true. As LITA reminds us - "We're all Monks!"

What's with all the primary colors? Is that a hint to amateur video directors?

By Blurt Staff

We previously brought you word about the Black Lips' fans-make- the-video contest that the Atlanta band was planning to help kick off their new Vice album 200 Million Thousand (due Feb. 24). Partnering with Vimeo.com, the contest has now officially launched and runs until February 15th. The winning director will receive - other than bragging rights, of course - a feature on the homepage of Vimeo.com, an extra special 7" of LP-standou t "Short Fuse," and a signed copy of 200 Million Thousand.

Go HERE to download a free MP3 of the song "Starting Over" and get cracking; you'll be subsequent ly uploading your video to Vimeo.com.

Also, tour dates have been added to the previously announced itinerary. Full list is below.

Black Lips Tour Dates

02-26 Birmingham , AL - Bottle Tree
02-27 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse

MySpace Music Presents Tour:
03-04 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
03-05 Washington , DC - Black Cat
03-06 Philadelph ia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
03-07 Cambridge, MA - Middle East
03-09 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-10 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsbu rg
03-12 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
03-13 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
03-14 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
03-15 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
03-16 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
03-17 Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
03-18 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
03-20 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-21 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-23 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
03-25 Tallahasse e, FL - Club Downunder
03-26 Tampa, FL - Orpheum
03-27 Miami, FL - Churchill' s
03-28 Gainesvill e, FL - Common Ground
03-29 Jacksonvil le, FL - Jack Rabbits
03-30 Orlando, FL - The Social

04-15 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
04-16 San Diego, CA - Casbah
04-17 Tempe, AZ - Clubhouse
04-18 Tucson, AZ - Plush
04-20 Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
04-21 Denver, CO - Bluebird
04-22 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
04-23 Boise, ID - Neurolox
04-24 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
04-25 Seattle, WA - Neumo's
04-27 Eugene, OR - Wow Hall
04-28 Sacramento , CA - Blue Lamp
04-29 Santa Cruz, CA - The Blue Lagoon
04-30 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
05-01 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
05-02 Pomona, CA - Glasshouse

Celebratin g the 43 Presidents compilatio n as well as serving as a benefit for Bands for Lands.

By Fred Mills

This weekend in Washington , DC, a very special celebratio n is taking place. No, not another inaugural party... those are so, like, next week. (Anybody else experience pre-inaugu ration burnout?) On Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue there will be a Bands for Lands bash, and sure, while it's billed as "celebrati ng the Presidenti al inaugurati on," it's also an opportunit y to celebrate the wonderful Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidenci es, the three-CD set that was released earlier this year containing , you guessed it, 43 separate songs each focusing on a single U.S. President and featuring performanc es by Alan Sparhawk (Low), Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters/S un Kil Moon), Califone, Xiu Xiu, Bill Callahan, Radar Bros., Rosie Thomas, Denison Witmer, Tom Brosseau, Marla Hansen, Wooden Wand and others.

It was put together by J. Matthew Gerkin, Jefferson Pitcher and BLURT contributo r Christian Kiefer, and you can read our review of it HERE, or find out more about it at the official website, www.43presiden cies.com.

Incidental ly, Kiefer promises BLURT that the 44^th presidenti al song - about guess who? - will be unveiled this week.

So the titanic trio of Gerkin, Pitcher and Kiefer have dressed the dang thing up for the stage, and they've lined up quite a roster of talent to perform songs from the collection . In addition to those three musicians, among those that have been announced are Nellie McKay, Jukebox the Ghost, These United States, Laura Burhenn, Tim Fite, Joe Pug, Denison Witmer, Silver Darling and Hiss Golden Messenger. By the time of the show there should be even more scheduled to take the stage.

These United States will also be doing a special opening set. Hey - you're going to Washington next week anyway, right? Might as well show up a few days early. Feel free to crash at the BLURT penthouse suite. We're just down the road in Silver Spring, after all...

Meanwhile, check out the amazing video for "Washingto n Dreams of the Hippopotam us"; it brings new meaning to the concept of a "puppet government "...

ARTIST: J. Matthew Gerken, Christian Kiefer, and Jefferson Pitcher
ALBUM: Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidenci es
SONG: "Washingto n Dreams of the Hippopotam us"
DIRECTOR: Erik Werner

We all hate the press, actually...

By Fred Mills

With the new Bonnie "Prince" Billy album Beware en route from Drag City on March 17, indie punters across the blogospher e are hyperventi lating at the thought of Will Oldham accompanie d by such guests as Jon Langford, Leroy Bach, Greg Leisez, Rob Mazurek, Azita and more. Meanwhile, Oldham has announced a major tour that will kick off March 12 in Bloomingto n, head through the Midwest and up to Canada, then back down to the lower 48.

Check out the recent Oldham interview in the New Yorker in which the notoriousl y press-shy artist holds forth on... lots of things! It's a fascinatin g piece, particular ly the ending:

"It was clear that he wasn't feeling entirely optimistic about having agreed to a magazine profile. ‘My mother's a huge fan, and I really liked that Merle piece, but definitely there's already . . .' He trailed off. ‘I don't know. I really hate press. And it's . . . yeah.'"

Exactly how some of us members OF the press feel sometimes, Will....

Tour Dates:

3-12 Bloomingto n, IN - Buskirk-Ch umley Theatre
3-13 Urbana, IL - Independen t Media Center
3-14 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
3-16 Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
3-17 Iowa City, IA - The Picador
3-18 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
3-19 Minneapoli s, MN - The McGuire Theater (Walker)
3-21 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Pyramid Cabaret
3-22 Saskatoon, Saskatchew an - Broadway Theatre
3-23 Edmonton, Alberta - McDougall United Church
3-24 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Hall
3-25 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Vogue Theatre
3-26 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
3-27 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
3-30 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
4-02 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
4-07 Lawrence, KS - The Granada
4-10 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant

Indie rockers unite! Four days, thirty bands, numerous panels, workshops and parties - all for only 15 bucks. What's not to like?

By Fred Mills

Taking place this Thursday through Sunday, January 15-19, in Asheville, NC: POPAshevil le, featuring 30 regional North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia indie-rock bands along with a slew of other music-rela ted events, including a very special keynote address by none other than Dave Allen from the mighty Gang Of Four and Shriekback . BLURT is proud to be one of the co-sponsor s of the event as an official "POPAshevi lle Partner," and we've got the scoop right here for ya.

First off, go to the official website or the event's MySpace page, where you can dig up all the specific info (ticketing , daily and nighttime events schedules, links to bands, etc.) you might require. The main site also has a very cool compilatio n featuring MP3s of all the bands that you can download for free. Those links:

 www.popashevil le.com

www.myspace.com/popash eville

(Did I mention that tickets for the entire weekend are only $15?)

So what is POPAshevil le? Well, a bit like SXSW, a little like CMJ, just scaled down to the local level - but no less interestin g, and with no shortage of musical discoverie s whether you're musician yourself, a journalist , a publicist, a label person looking for fresh, uh, meat, or even just an interested civilian who wants to check out some top quality bands and hit some intriguing workshops and panels. (More on that in a sec.)

It was started a few years ago, in 2003, by Stephanie Morgan, of Asheville outfit stephanies id, and at the time it was called IdFest and featured five bands performing one evening at a club. Since then the event has steadily grown - and changed its name, obviously - to become a 4-day, 30-band bash held at three of the top Asheville music venues, the Grey Eagle, Stella Blue and the Rocket Club. Certainly the spotlight is shining on Asheville groups, but this year's POPAshevil le will also have guests from Nashville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Athens, Atlanta and South Carolina, and with the 2008 gathering nearly selling out, it's almost a given that the clubs will be stuffed to the gills with revelers. As the three clubs are scattered around the city, a free shuttle bus will be making the rounds to transport tickethold ers safely and efficientl y (good for drinkers, yo).

See the full list of artists, below.

According to the POPAshevil le mission statement, "POPAshevi lle supports a thriving scene for modern touring bands and recognizes the importance of community and informatio n-sharing within this scene and within the surroundin g region. In the midst of a highly transition al music industry, POPAshevil le seeks to bolster partnershi ps between touring bands and to amplify Asheville' s presence on the national modern music map."

Indeed, to that end, in addition to the showcases, POPAshevil le will be featuring a kickoff party, workshops, a music business panel discussion , tours of local recording studios, and the aforementi oned Dave Allen keynote address. The workshops in particular look interestin g, among them: musician William F. Gibbs will be hosting one called "Sound Design: The Relevant Rock Star"; the Future of Music Coalition' s Alex Maiolo (also a member of Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies) takes on "Insurance and the Indie Musician"; songwriter Chuck Lichtenber ger instructs on "Put Your Songs On Paper: Writing Simple Song Charts"; and noted rock critic Wayne Robins holds forth on "Rock Criticism and the Artist" plus "A Brief History of Rock".

There's also to be a panel discussion , moderated by Maiolo and featuring journalist s, producers and studio experts on the panel, with the somewhat unwieldy but self-expla natory title "Your Future in Music: What you can do in the next 12 months to help your career as an indie musician." It's billed as a "multi-ang led look at the ever-shift ing business world that musicians work within... the nuts-and-b olts of the career of the indie musician, working through pictures of foreseeabl e daily life."

On a personal note, I've lived in Asheville since early 2002, and while that's probably not a very long time compared to the tenures of some of the musicians here, I have seen a lot of changes in my seven years, almost all of them for the better, music community- wise. This lifestyle- tolerant mountain city seems to attract the creative class, and there are scores of talented people here - I see ‘em in the clubs all the time, onstage and in the audience, and that's what always provides the underpinni ng of a classic music scene. I wish I had the time and energy to go out several nights a week, for there's literally never a blackout evening on the musical calendar in Asheville. More than once I've heard people compare it to a cross between Austin and Portland, Oregon, and it also reminds me at times of the early ‘80s in the Chapel Hill area when so many bands were starting to crawl out of the woodwork. Funnily enough, nowadays punters regularly travel to Asheville from as far away as Chapel Hill or Atlanta to catch some of the national acts that bypass those cities in order to play this one.

Plus, the ever-impor tant infrastruc ture is present in Asheville - several top-notch recording studios; three radio stations (AAA, low-power and commercial ) that consistent ly play local recordings ; a bunch of indie record stores; two proximate colleges, two Interstate s and an airport; more clubs, bars and java huts than you can shake a caveman at - and that combined with what everyone agrees is a vibrant nightlife in general makes this burg one of the potentiall y most promising musical hubs in the Southeast.

Okay, that's enough cheerleadi ng. My point is this: the rise of any proverbial music "scene" is inevitably localized until such time as the national media catches wind or some local band achieves breakout status. Sometimes said "scenes" attain status and become the stuff of legend - Athens, Minneapoli s, Seattle, etc. - and sometimes they fizzle out and fade away. But while it's actually happening, it can be one of the most exciting things in the world to be a part of if you're a true fan of rock ‘n' roll.

Wouldn't you like to take a chance and be, in some way, shape or form, a part of this one?

I'll see ya this weekend at POPAshevil le. ‘Nuf said.

BAND SCHEDULE FRIDAY NIGHT:

8:00 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Nevada&nbs p;  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

8:20 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Dancer vs. Politician   The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

8:40 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; On The Take   Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

9:00 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; William F. Gibbs  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

9:20 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Umbrella Tree  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

9:40 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; The Houstons Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

10:00 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Je n and the Juice  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

10:20 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Ru bySlippers & MINGLE  &nbs p; &n bsp; The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

10:40 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Bandazian  &nbs p; &n bsp;  Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

11:00 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Warm in the Wake  &nbs p; &n bsp; The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

11:20 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Tallest Trees  &nbs p; The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

11:40 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Casper and the Cookies  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

12:00 am  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Mad Tea Party  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

12:20 am  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Jar-e  &nbs p;  The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

12:40 am  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Arizona Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

BAND SCHEDULE SATURDAY NIGHT:

8:00 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; The Baker Family Band   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

8:20 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; The Cheeksters  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

8:40 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Bugs Multiply  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

9:00 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Holiday Childress  &nbs p; &n bsp;  The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

9:20 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

9:40 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Nerd Parade  &nbs p; Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

10:00 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; The Champion and his Burning Flame  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

10:20 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Speedsquar e  &nbs p; The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

10:40 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; The Poles  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

11:00 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Heypenny  &nbs p; &n bsp;    The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

11:20 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Parachute Musical  &nbs p; &n bsp;  The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

11:40 pm  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Howlies  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Stella Blue / Mountain Xpress Stage

12:00 am  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; stephanies id  &nbs p; The Grey Eagle / WNC Magazine Stage

12:20 am  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; SeepeopleS  &nbs p; &n bsp; The Rocket Club / Echo Mountain Stage

12:40 am  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; If You Wannas  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Stella Blue / Mountain

Well folks, please forgive the less than thoughtful musing this week. Still digging out from the holidays! Plus, it's my birthday on Friday (shameless self-promo tion). And then it's off to DC for the inaugurati on! In the meantime, this is perhaps the funniest thing I've watched in the long time, oh my GAWD: [...]

A Tri ple-A radio programmin g veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentati on of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Dig Out Your Soul in the Street debuts on MySpace.

By Fred Mills

"Lord don't slow me down..." So goes the tagline of the Who-meets- Yardbirds song of the same name from Oasis, and that might as well be a manifesto of late for the band, too. If you head over to their MySpace page you can view an exclusive (and free, duh) 18 minute, black and white documentar y titled Dig Out Your Soul in the Street. It features Liam Gallagher, Gem Archr and Andy Bell in a Brooklyn loft last September surrounded by a crew of NYC street musicians (most of them part of the MTA's Music Under New York program), and the band proceeds to teach the assembled buskers how to play select songs from the then-unrel eased Oasis album Dig Out Your Soul.

Directed by The Malloys (White Stripes), it's reportedly the first high-def film to debut on MySpace.

Hey, with the touring industry in the toilet like the rest of the economy, maybe Oasis and other groups should turn the whole thing around and start busking in the subways and on the streets themselves ! How cool would this be: You're walking briskly down the avenue to pick up your morning coffee and bagel and along the way you pass a few guys bashing away on guitars, and - "Hey, is that....? Nah, no way. Couldn't be... waitaminni t... Shit honey, run home fast and grab a Sharpie and our copy of Achtung Baby!"

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul In The Streets

Public on-sale to his first American concert appearance since 1993 will be on Friday.

By Fred Mills

Way back when BLURT was just a little ol' print publicatio n called Harp we were the proud participan ts in one of the very few U.S. interviews Leonard Cohen granted to coincide with the Columbia/L egacy roll-out of remastered titles from his back catalog. In the interview (published in the June '07 Harp) Cohen commented on the likelihood of his embarking upon a tour, something he hadn't done in 14 years:

"I haven't been out since '93. The years went by and I thought ‘I'l l never go out again.' But every so often you do have that itch. You've heard that saying in rock 'n' roll, they don't pay you to sing, they pay you to travel. But you forget about that stuff. The actual concerts are always compelling . If you've got good musicians, and you're playing, and people know the songs, and they want to hear them live, it is a wonderful thing. And so I'm drawn to that."

Well, he got that itch last year, of course, touring Canada, the UK and Europe last summer and then the UK and Europe again in the fall. He's currently scheduled to do dates in Australia and New Zealand starting Jan. 20 and running through Feb. 10, but the big news for American fans is that the bard will be doing a special one-night show in New York at the 2,800-capa city Beacon Theatre on Feb. 19. This is essentiall y a teaser: he's planning on doing a full U.S. and western Canada tour starting in April.

A special pre-sale for the event starts TODAY, from 2pm until 10pm EST only, and you'll have to go to this page on his website or at this Ticketbast ard page to get a link and a password before obtaining tickets, which will range from $250 (orchestra ) to $65 (top balcony).

Meawhile, for the public on-sale, tickets will be available via Ticketmast er.com, Beaconthea tre.com and charge-by- phone at (866) 858-0008 beginning on Friday, January 16^th at 9:00 AM.  If tickets remain, they will be available for purchase beginning Saturday, January, 17^th at Madison Square Garden and Radio City Box offices. Tickets for patrons with disabiliti es may also be purchased by calling (212) 465-6085. 

Good luck, punters. This'll be an instant sellout no doubt...

By Blurt Staff

Register to Win The Von Bondies' Newest Album Love, Hate and Then There's You at BLURT.

You can win the album with the acclaimed single "Pale Bride" before it hits stores February 3rd! Just go to our contest page and fill out the necessary forms.

With the long-antic ipated release of Love, Hate and Then There's You, The Von Bondies' third studio album and their debut for Majordomo Records, fans will experience a band that's come a long way since 2004's smash album on Sire, Pawn Shoppe Heart. Now in their ninth year together, Jason Stollsteim er and drummer Don Blum, the Von Bondies' other founding member, have taken their music to new places while holding on to the core values they've always exhibited. Love, Hate and Then There's You picks up from the tighter, more nuanced sound of the Von Bondies' huge 2004 hit single "C'mon C'mon," which subsequent ly took on a second life as the theme to Denis Leary's highly acclaimed FX TV series Rescue Me.

According to Stollsteim er, "It's a new band. You don't want to avoid your history but it is a new direction. It wasn't on purpose. It's just where we were going." The album was produced by song doctor Butch Walker along with Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club).

The group devoted most of this year to touring in support of their We Are Kamikazes EP. They inked a deal with Majordomo after appearing at SXSW in Austin and also put a good deal of time into fine-tunin g new material. Explains Stollsteim er, "The songs are kind of sinister-s ounding but there's this overall lift feeling to them," he says. "There's always going to be bad days but hopefully you're not going to have a cynical person that only remembers the bad. And you need bad days to realize what's good in life. I try to put that in lyrics."

Incidental ly, you can preview a number of the newer songs at the band's MySpace page....

Track Listing:

1. This Is Our Perfect Crime
2. Shut Your Mouth
3. Pale Bride
4. Only To Haunt You
5. 21st Birthday
6. She's Dead To Me
7. Chancer
8. Blame Game
9. I Don't Wanna
10. Accidents Will Happen
11. Earthquake
12. Modern Saints

By Blurt Staff

Anti- Records has released a free download of "People Got A Lotta Nerve," the first single from Neko Case's new album 'Middle Cyclone' (March 3), and for every blog that posts the song and iLike user who adds it to his/her profile, Neko Case and Anti- will make a donation benefiting Best Friends Animal Society.

The promotion will run from January 14 to February 3, 2009. Five dollars will be donated for every blog post and one dollar for every user of iLike that adds the song to his/her profile.

Follow this link to the download, to view Case's PSA for the BFAS and for more details: http://www .antilabelb log.com/?p=130 1

About Best Friends Animal Society:

Celebratin g its 25th anniversar y in 2009, Best Friends Animal Society is one of America's foremost animal rescue organizati ons. Founded in 1984, Best Friends advances nationwide animal welfare initiative s by working with shelter and rescue groups around the country. On any given day Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the nation's largest facility for abused, abandoned and special needs companion animals located in southweste rn Utah, is home to approximat ely 2,000 dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds, and other animals. The society also publishes Best Friends magazine, the nation's largest general interest, pet-relate d magazine with approximat ely 300,000 subscriber s. For more informatio n, visit http://www .bestfriend s.org.

YAP: NEW YEAR'S REVOLUTION S

1. Don't Drop My Cell Phone In The Toilet (Anymore)

There's a lot of reasons you might want to adhere to this resolution . Let's say hypothetic ally that it was in your sweatshirt pocket and you were standing up taking a pee. (Ladies, you might want to skip this unless you're Melissa Ferrick fans. In that you might stand up to pee. I love Melissa Ferrick, she's wonderful but her audience prides itself on being bull dykes. Many of them are reading this now and saying,

"How did he know I like to stand up and pee? How did he know I dropped my cellphone in the toilet?")*

(BTW: See Milk, it's incredible .)

Anyway, your cell phone goes down in the water, you got to fish it out and then:

voil&agrav e;, no more light-up, no more speed dial, no more communicat ion. The thing is, not dropping your cell phone in the toilet is a lot easier to resolve than losing weight. Or quitting smoking.

2. Grow A Lot Of Hair

This is going to be troublesom e. But I'm tired of too few options. I'd like to look like Christophe r Walken. Or Maybe Mickey Rourke in The Pope Of Greenwich Village. Or Joe Strummer circa 1979. Elvis, for God's sake. It's too late for Rogaine, and wigs look bad.

3. Keep My Car Clean

My wife won't ride in it anymore. Very few people will. I'm turning over a new leaf. The only thing is, in my defense, is that I have to live in it, kinda, when I'm gigging. And you know how it is, you're late for the soundcheck , you drink a cup of coffee, you down a Red Bull, you eat a protein bar, you do an espresso, you chew some caffeine gum, you do your last few pep pills, you got to put the wrappers and empty cups somewhere, right? So you toss them on the floor. Then you get to the club and you gotta run in do the check, blast through the gig, drink six or seven more cups of coffee, get back in the car and drive six hours, drinking seven or eight Red Bulls. Okay, you got a bit of a pile on the floor.

But when you pull over to sleep, whaddaya gonna use for a pillow? Isn't the trash ideal?

I rest my case. And I rest my head on the comfy junk.

But I'm turning over a new leaf. Some of those leaves are on the floor of my car.

4. Stop Screaming At the Audience

No one enjoys this. It isn't helping. Who do I think I am? I've tried to get out but they keep pulling me back in. Some audiences are getting hip to my idiosyncra sies and when they see my threshold clearly on the horizon they stand up and scream. "INCOMING! "

This is doing no one any good.

5. Stop Reading The Comments Under My Favorite You Tube Music Or Comedy Videos

People have too much time. And the ones that do are usually young, I know, and they write stuff under videos about say, Bill Hicks or Jack White or Burroughs or anybody but Gene Vincent and it's adolescent or asinine or something so off the mark that I think "Geez, this depresses me."

That's not why I watched the video. It was to entertain, or inspire or study. And it's like messing with a bad tooth. I can't not look.

No more scrolling down on '09.

6. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Let's face it. These are tough times. The economy sucks and it affects all of us. It's hard to keep a brave face and a stiff upper lip. But Gosh darn it, life's too short. Unemployme nt is up. And this new administra tion isn't going to help certain vocations. For instance: torturers.

What's an unemployed waterboard er going to do in this new administra tion? I guess they could get a job at the DMV. Now that I think about it, I've often waited in line three hours to be told that I didn't have the right paperwork and it felt like somebody had attached wires to my testicles.

But I digress.

I think that I forgot to have fun. So... I'm going to make a effort to seek it out. Tonight I'm going to a nightclub in Manhattan to check out some live Brazilian music. I'll let you know. I might ride around in the car with a Beach Boy, maybe Brian or Al. Certainly not Mike.

Anyway thank God 2008 is behind us. That goes double for the last eight years. (Hey, was it my imaginatio n or did Obama absolutely refuse to play the lowest common denominato r card? Was his whole platform, "I know you're better than this? I'm going to appeal to your intellect and compassion ? Your greater humanity. Not just as Americans, but people. Oh, you know he did.)

Anyway, that's it for now...until next time I think I'll listen to my Beatles Live At The BBC. Fun, see?

I realize that you can't see the twinkle in my eye when I write this stuff. It's a joke. Don't write me. See #5.

Ed Hamell picked up the guitar at age 7 and started writing songs not long after. In his early 20s, Mr. Hamell was the front man and writer for an original band, but local bands were a dime a dozen in the tough, working class neighborho ods in Syracuse, NY. So he launched a one-man act called Hamell on Trial. Six albums (plus a live one) and countless shows later, Hamell himself is one of a kind. Catch him on tour this summer in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

By Blurt Staff

From the Hall of Fame comes this announceme nt today:

"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation today announced its inductees for 2009. In addition, for the first time in its 24- year history, tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be accessible to the public."

Wait, you mean they're going to let civilians in? In previous years, each $1500 ticket has only been available to a select group of managers, artists, friends, etc.

"This year's class of inductees truly represents what the Hall of Fame is all about. From classic artists that began their careers in the 50's and 60's to those that have defined the modern sound of rock and roll," said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President & CEO Joel Peresman.

The performer inductees are:  
Jeff Beck
Little Anthony & the Imperials
Metallica
Run-D.M.C.
Bobby Womack

Early Influence Category Inductee:
Wanda Jackson

Sidemen Category:
Bill Black
DJ Fontana
Spooner Oldham

Wow. Um, what's it going to take to get the Stooges in here? We'll concede that this year's lineup is one of the least offensive in years (Jeff Beck excluded), but seriously. The FUCKING STOOGES!

A limited number of pre-sale tickets to the Induction Ceremony at Cleveland' s historic Public Hall will be available to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum members on Thursday, January 22 and Friday, January 23.

Will Pitchfork accuse EMI of "whoring out" their pet band this time, hmmmm...?

By Blurt Staff

On March 24, Radiohead' s first three studio albums, Pablo Honey (1993), The Bends (1995) and OK Computer (1997) will be released by Capitol/EM I in expanded "Collector s Edition" and limited edition "Special Collectors Edition" packages. Each "Collector s Edition" includes the original album plus a second CD of rarities, including demos, sessions and live recordings . Each "Special Collectors Edition," in deluxe, lift-top box packaging, includes both audio discs and adds a DVD with a variety of promotiona l music videos, TV performanc es and filmed concert performanc es, as well as a series of postcards.

Pablo Honey's "Collector s Edition" features the original album on disc one, and demos, rarities, live performanc e recordings and a 1992 BBC Radio One session on disc two. The "Special Collectors Edition" DVD adds four promotiona l music videos, the band's 1993 debut "Top Of The Pops" performanc e, and nine live recordings from their May 1994 London Astoria concert.

The Bends' "Collector s Edition" features the original album on disc one, and EPs with rarities and a 1994 BBC Radio session on disc two. The "Special Collectors Edition" DVD adds five promotiona l music videos, 1995 and '96 TV performanc es from "Top Of The Pops," "Later with Jools Holland" and "2 Meter Session," and eight filmed performanc es from their May 1994 London Astoria concert.

OK Computer's "Collector s Edition" feature the original album on disc one, and EPs with rarities and live recordings and a 1997 BBC Radio One "Evening Session" performanc e on disc  two.  The "Special Collectors Edition" DVD adds three promotiona l music videos and a May 1997 TV performanc e from "Later with Jools Holland." &nb sp; 

On April 21, Capitol/EM I will reissue 12 Radiohead EPs on 180-gram vinyl as part of the popular "From The Capitol Vaults" high-quali ty vinyl series.

UPDATE: We rest our case (e.g., the Pitchfok comment in the subhead above). Being a fanboy, it seems, means never having to say "you're silly." Really, we all saw that coming a mile away....

* * *

TRACK LISTS

Pablo Honey (Collector s Edition) - 2CD

Disc One

1.  You

2.  Creep

3.  How Do You?

4.  Stop Whispering

5.  Thinking About You

6.  Anyone Can Play Guitar

7.  Ripcord

8.  Vegetable

9.  Prove Yourself

10.  I Can't

11.  Lurgee

12.  Blow Out

Disc Two

Drill EP

1. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Prove Yourself (Demo)

2. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Stupid Car (Demo)

3. &nbs p; &n bsp;    You (Demo)

4. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Thinking About You (Demo)

Creep

5. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Inside My Head

6. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Million Dollar Question

7. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Yes I Am

8. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Blow Out (Remix)

9. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Inside My Head (Live)

10. &nbs p;  Creep (Acoustic)

11. &nbs p;  Vegetable (Live)

12. &nbs p;  Killer Cars (Live)

Anyone Can Play Guitar

13. &nbs p;  Faithless, The Wonderboy

14. &nbs p;  Coke Babies

Pop Is Dead

15. &nbs p;  Pop Is Dead

16. &nbs p;  Banana Co. (Acoustic)

17. &nbs p;  Ripchord (Live)

Stop Whispering

18. &nbs p;  Stop Whispering (US Version)

BBC Radio One Session (06/22/92)

19. &nbs p;  Prove Yourself

20. &nbs p;  Creep

21. &nbs p;  I Can't

22. &nbs p;  Nothing Touches Me

Pablo Honey (Special Collectors Edition) - 2CD+DVD

(includes 2 CDs + DVD)

Promo videos:

Creep

Anyone Can Play Guitar

Pop Is Dead

Stop Whispering

Top Of The Pops (09/16/93)

Creep

The Astoria, London - Live (05/27/94)

You

Ripcord

Creep

Prove Yourself

Vegetable

Stop Whispering

Anyone Can Play Guitar

Pop Is Dead

Blow Out

The Bends (Collector s Edition) - 2CD

Disc One

1.  Planet Telex

2.  The Bends

3.  High And Dry

4.  Fake Plastic Trees

5.  Bones

6.  (Nice Dream)

7.  Just

8.  My Iron Lung

9.  Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was

10.  Black Star

11.  Sulk

12.  Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Disc Two

My Iron Lung

1.  The Trickster

2.  Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong

3.  Lozenge Of Love

4.  Lewis (Mistreate d)

5.  Permanent Daylight

6.  You Never Wash Up After Yourself

High And Dry/Planet Telex

7.  Maquilador a

8.  Killer Cars

Fake Plastic Trees

9.  India Rubber

10. How Can You Be Sure?

Street Spirit (Fade Out)

11. Talk Show Host

12. Bishop's Robes

13. Banana Co.

14. Molasses

BBC Radio One Session (04/14/94)

15. Just

16. Maquilador a

17. Street Spirit (Fade Out)

18. Bones

The Bends (Special Collectors Edition) - 2CD+DVD

(includes 2 CDs + DVD)

Promo Videos:

High And Dry (UK Version)

High And Dry (US Version)

Fake Plastic Trees

Just

Street Spirit (Fade Out)

The Astoria, London - Live (5/27/94)

Bones

Black Star

The Bends

My Iron Lung

Maquilador a

Fake Plastic Trees

Just

Street Spirit (Fade Out)

2 Meter Session, Holland (02/27/95)

My Iron Lung
High And Dry
Fake Plastic Trees
Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Later With Jools Holland (05/27/95)

The Bends

High And Dry

Top Of The Pops

High And Dry (03/09/95)

Fake Plastic Trees (06/01/95)

Street Spirit (Fade Out) (02/01/96)

OK Computer (Collector s Edition) - 2CD

Disc One

1.  Airbag

2.  Paranoid Android

3.  Subterrane an Homesick Alien

4.  Exit Music (For A Film)

5.  Let Down

6.  Karma Police

7.  Fitter Happier

8.  Electionee ring

9.  Climbing Up The Walls

10.  No Surprises

11.  Lucky

12.  The Tourist

Disc Two

Paranoid Android

1. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Polyethyle ne (Parts 1 & 2)

2. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Pearly*

3. &nbs p; &n bsp;    A Reminder

4. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Melatonin

Karma Police

5. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Meeting In The Aisle

6. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Lull

7. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Mix)

8. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Climbing Up The Walls (Fila Brazillia Mix)

No Surprises

9. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Palo Alto

10. &nbs p;  How I Made My Millions

11. &nbs p;  Airbag (Live In Berlin)

12. &nbs p;  Lucky (Live In Florence)

BBC Radio One Evening Session (05/28/97)

13. &nbs p;  No Surprises

14. &nbs p;  Climbing Up The Walls

15. &nbs p;  Exit Music (For A Film)

OK Computer (Special Collectors Edition) - 2CD+DVD

(includes 2 CDs + DVD)

Promo Videos:

Paranoid Android

Karma Police

No Surprises

Later With Jools Holland (05/31/97)

Paranoid Android

No Surprises

Airbag

Muslimgauz e

In the annals of the insanely prolific, Bryn Jones, aka Muslimgauz e, may stand alone. Having produced close to 100 releases between 1982 and his death in 1999, that number (including re-issues) has now more than doubled. That puts him up (and beyond) in the rarified category of Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, Bill Laswell, Bill Nelson, Jandek and other pathologic ally prolific musicians, most of whom can't touch the coattails of his discograph y.  It's actually even more impressive considerin g that the others were either much older at their passing or are still around and releasing records. The man was clearly driven by a profound need to create.


The volume of Muslimgauz e's work is just a small part of a complex scenario. The urgency of his prolifigy was at the very least least double-edg ed. Obviously he had an unquelchab le mass of music bottled up inside and the means to let it out. But Bryn Jones was also a man with a Cause; he was intensely, some would say militantly pro-Palest inian, and Muslimgauz e was viewed by some as virtually the musical wing of the PLO. Wading into the on-going Israeli/Pa lestinian conflict is obviously a thorny path, but it became one of his choses ones. Jones' interests were, in fact, much broader, and included an on-going concern for issues of sovereignt y, freedom, equality and justice throughout the world at large, especially in the Third and Muslim Worlds. He was a long-time student of the politics of oppression , and vocal in his support of groups that some consider freedom fighters, other terrorists . This was a stance that garnered him huge respect in some quarters and, naturally, great enmity in others.


You won't find any voices extolling any particular political cause on a Muslimgauz e record, other than a occasional sampling of a newscast, speech or "ethnic" voice or snippet of music--in fact, you'll find almost no human voices at all. The politics are more inferentia l, but also show up prominentl y in song-title s and on cover art: Cout D'Etat features images of Ayatollah Kohemani on the front and Moammar Kadafi on the back, willfully provocativ e (some would say naive) images guaranteed to exhilarate one audience while alienating another. I certainly don't know his deepest beliefs, but we can only hope that they included a wish for freedom from oppression for ALL peoples, everywhere , irregardle ss of...well, anything.

 
One of electronic music's true visionarie s, Muslimgauz e produced a multi-tier ed body of work that would take a devoted musicologi st years to grapple with. As likely to be percussive as electronic , he created a new language that sucked together everything from dub, ambient, tribal and house to industrial , electro-ac oustic, cut-and-pa ste and drone. Particular ly striking are his extensive, body and soul altering forays into a highly personal fusion of Middle Eastern and North African (but also Asian, Native American, etc.) sounds, sometimes sampled and sometimes not, sometimes percussive , sometimes electronic , sometimes both; frequently harsh, sonically provocativ e, frequently unsettling , almost always intense, by no means for the timid. Muslimgauz e's low end could cripple a crap sub-woofer , while the high end could set dogs barking blocks away. His recording mastery was intuitive and highly evolved, his musical vision seemingly endlessly hungry to create new variations .


Although he evidently spent most of a decade and a half holed up in one studio or another, he occasional ly collaborat ed with contempora ries, including Systemwide , Apollon, Bass Communion and Sons of Arqa. He also DJ'd a bit, occasional ly played live and gave interviews now and then, but it was really all about making and releasing music. He released 16 albums in 1998, and in the year of his death, 1999, there were a total of 22 releases marked Muslimgauz e. He had releases on at least 32 labels.

 
Bryn Jones died suddenly, quickly, unexpected ly from a rare blood infection in 1999. Over 100 Muslimgauz e records have been released since his death, some as reissues, most of it previously unreleased material. Even in death, the obsession continues. 

Used to be in a little old band called Husker Du. You may have heard of ‘em.

By Blurt Staff

2009 marks the 20^th anniversar y of the release of erstwhile Husker Du frontman Bob Mould's classic solo debut Workbook. Not so coincident ally, this year also sees the release of Bob Mould's latest solo work, Life and Times, set for an April 7^th street date.  It's the followup to 2008's District Line.

Produced and mixed by Mould in his new hometown of Washington D.C, the album is filled with Mould's experience s in relation to friends, lovers, the world at large and himself.  It is honest and personal, his voice breaking on "Bad Blood Better," the electronic twitches of earlier work reappearin g under signature blazing guitars on"MM17."  Mould appraises the perils of easy self-distr action on "Wasted World" and is not afraid to get explicit on "Argos."  The emotional and musical centerpiec e of the record, "I'm Sorry Baby, But You Can't Stand In My Light Anymore," is an unflinchin g look at the sorrow and regret that comes at the end of love.

Read this interview with Mould from 2005, conducted by BLURT's own Scott Crawford.

Then read this one from 2008, by our pal Doug Wallen.

Life and Times Track Listing:

Life and Times

The Breach

City Lights (Days Go By)

MM 17

Argos

Bad Blood Better

Wasted World

Spiraling Down

I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand In My Light Any More

Lifetime

Bob Mould On Tour:

2/28 - San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall (Noisepop Festival)& nbsp;

3/02 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe

3/11 - New York, CA @ Carnegie Hall (R.E.M Tribute Show)

3/29 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk

3/30 - Minneapoli s, IL @ Varsity Theatre&nb sp;

4/05 - Charlottes ville, VA @ Gravity Lounge&nbs p;

4/07 - Alexandria , VA @ Birchmere& nbsp;

4/08 - New York, NY @ Joe's Pub 

4/09 - New York, NY @ Joe's Pub 

11-track album arrives March 3 in standard and deluxe formats.

By Fred Mills

"Fez - Being Born"?!? WTF? What would Mike Edison say! At any rate, that's one of the song titles from the previously announced forthcomin g U2 album No Line on the Horizon, due March 3 from UMG. We listed the album as among the 100 Most Anticipate d Releases coming up, but don't let that deter ya from supporting your favorite Irish band.

The first single, "Get On Your Boots" drop Feb. 16 in both physical and digital formats; the band will perform that song Feb. 18 at London's BRIT Awards, but fans can get a taste of it as early as next Monday when it premieres on Dublin's 2FM. And as you might expect, the album comes in both standard and deluxe versions - the latter including bonus booklet material plus a DVD of the Anton Corbijn film Linear and being offered in several different formats with pricing ranging up to a 100-buck collector' s edition.

The album cover, above, was designed by the band with Japanese artist/pho tographer Hiroshi Sugimoto - who we hope got paid, considerin g there doesn't appear to have been any substantia l work that went into the design!

Track Listing:

No Line On The Horizon
Magnificen t
Moment of Surrender
Unknown Caller
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Get On Your Boots
Stand Up Comedy
Fez - Being Born
White As Snow
Breathe
Cedars Of Lebanon

Album due May 19 on Anti-.

By Blurt Staff

Jason Lytle, who helmed Cali indie upstarts Grandaddy through the second half of the nineties and into the new millennium before putting the beast to rest in 2006, dips into the solo arena on May 19 via Anti-. Titled Yours Truly, the Commuter, the 12-songer comes on the heels of Lytle's guest appearance on M. Ward's upcoming Hold Time and is described by the record label thusly:

"Dreamy soundscape s mirror the dramatic environmen t of Lytle's newly-adop ted Montana, where the record was written and recorded, while the twang of central California farmland remains in the inflection and phrasings of the Modesto native's unmistakab le voice. Electronic flourishes collide with acoustic guitars and soulful piano parts, recreating Lytle's signature electro-lo -fi atmosphere s. The fuzzed out rocking of "It's the Weekend" is balanced by the beautiful heartbreak of "Rollin' Home Alone," but it is the opening lines of the first song that so neatly encapsulat es the past few years of Jason Lytle's life, and his future as an artist: ‘I may be limping, but I'm coming home.'"

Well, all right then! Welcome home, Jason!

Yours Truly, the Commuter tracklisti ng:

1. Yours Truly, the Commuter
2. Brand New Sun
3. Ghost Of My Old Dog
4. I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)
5. Birds Encouraged Him
6. It's The Weekend
7 Fürge t It
8. This Song Is The Mute Button
9. Rollin' Home Alone
10. You're Too Gone
11. Flying Thru Canyons
12. Here For Good

Now, about that White Chalk single coming....

By Fred Mills

As previously announced by BLURT, March 31 will bring a new PJ Harvey album titled A Woman A Man Walked By, due on Island. The John Parish collaborat ion was mixed by Flood. It's reportedly to be preceded by the single "The Devil" b/w "Liverpool ," but confusingl y, "The Devil comes from 2007's underwhelm ing White Chalk album (the b-side is unreleased )! We're betting that info turns out to be incorrect or premature and that something from AWAMWB will get the nod.

At any rate, here's the tracklisti ng for the new album:

Black Hearted Love
Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen
Leaving California
The Chair
April
A Woman A Man Walked By / The Crow Knows Where All The Little Children Go
The Soldier
Pig Will Not
Passionles s, Pointless
Cracks In The Canvas

All the way from Memphis... to London... and onward.

By Fred Mills

So, American BLURT readers - what are YOU doing in October? How's that bank account looking? (Will there be anything in it by next fall for that matter?) Saving up to attend CMJ in New York? We say feh to that!

Smart money's on booking a flight to London on Oct. 2 and 3. That's when the late, great, Ian Hunter-fro nted Mott the Hoople will be doing a pair of 40^th anniversar y concerts at the Hammersmit h Apollo. Tickets go on sale Jan. 22, so better snap ‘em up fast. The thing's bound to be a swift sellout - although let us not forget that similarly noteworthy events, such as the Pretty Things' S.F. Sorrow tour originally slated to take place at the end of this month, have been cancelled in the recent past due to poor ticket sales, so ya never know!

Plus, Mott/Hunte r fan site Hunter-Mot t.com is cautioning that the gigs are not 100% confirmed yet, so keep checking in with them. Apparently back in September keyboardis t Verden Allen disclosed in a readio interview that all five members had been in talks about getting back together again; bassist Overend Watts had been a longtime holdout, while neither he nor drummer Dale Griffin had even performed live for years; but both Hunter and guitarist Mick Ralphs had indicated in the past that they'd be open to the notion.

And British promoter Rob Hallet recently told BBC news, in the wake of all the Led Zep reunion rumors, that there was another one hailing from the same era that was currently on the table. "If you were a teenage boy in the pre-punk 70's," said Hallet, "you're going to be very excited. Outside of Led Zeppelin, this is probably the biggest reformatio n that you could hope for."

Mott the Hoople started life in 1966 as the Doc Thomas group, eventually hooking up with legendary producer Guy Stevens (who suggested the name change) and issued a string of classic albums for Island and Columbia before calling it a day in 1974, at which point Hunter went solo and the other members soldiered on as simply "Mott" for a pair of somewhat uninspired albums. Since then, reunions have been rumored&nb sp; but nothing has ever materializ ed, although tons of reissues and archival releases have continued to fuel the Mott fan fire - including for yours truly, who plans to drag his stack heels and glitter makeup out of mothballs for the reunion shows.

Meanwhile, Hunter-Mot t.com indicates that an authorized DVD documentar y on Mott will be released to commemorat e the 40^th anniversar y. It's being done by Start Production s, the same people who did last year's moderately received doc on Love titled Love Story. Start's website is, ominously, not working at the moment, but you can get details about the Love film at www.myspace.com/lovest orydocumen tary.

Beach Boys legend also gives brief acoustic performanc e and drops clues about his next hard rock project.

By Jose Martinez

Last night, the brand spankin' new state-of-t he-art GRAMMY Museum, housed in the megalopoli s that is LA LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, hosted its first public program. Billed as "An Evening with Brian Wilson," 200 lucky fans were treated to an intimate discussion with the famed singer as well as a brief acoustic performanc e.

GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Robert Santelli, the evening's Q&A moderator, described the event as the opportunit y to "hear history from the horse's mouth." And the horse, Southern California legend Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, was in an energetic mood much to the delight of his fans.

How appropriat e that while the rest of the country was freezing it was a cool 75-degree winter night in Los Angeles as the definitive beach boy talked about his historic music career.

Listing Chuck Berry as the "most influentia l songwriter of my life," Wilson also pointed out that the works of lauded producer Phil Spector and the harmonious Four Freshmen were very monumental to his craft.

Arguably one of popular music's most deeply revered icons, the 66-year-ol d Wilson is a legendary songwriter , producer and performer that has created some of the most cherished songs in rock history.

Speaking in quick, excited bursts, Wilson confessed that he was "jealous" of the Beatles and described their music as "electrify ing."

He also admitted that the Beach Boys' 1966 classic Pet Sounds was an "experimen t in sound" made to "keep Phil Spector's sound alive."

Confessing that he's determined to "keep good music alive," Wilson described his first ever encounter with Elvis Presley. It seemed the King (Presley) was recording in the same studio as the Beach Boys, and Elvis, wearing a long, burgundy suede coat refused to listen to Wilson's new tracks.

Wilson, the architect of the smooth California sound, pointed out that he longs to make a hard rock record. In fact, he's already recorded versions of "Proud Mary" and "At the Hop."

"One day," he said, of the record's release. "I'm wondering if I should," he added.

Having penned so many classics, Wilson noted that the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" is his favorite song. "It's the best song I've ever written."

When asked to list the four artists he would choose to be stranded with on a desert island he quickly chose The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Bee Gees, and The Eagles.

After being asked what is left for him to accomplish , to which he answered, "nothing really," Wilson was joined by his 5-piece band and performed a brief but impressive six-song set. Singing with a serene expression , Wilson performed "Surfer Girl" (the first song he ever wrote), as well as tracks from his latest release That Lucky Old Sun such as "Midnight' s Another Day" (very epic sounding), "Going Home" and the Beach Boys-inspi red "Southern California ." He also treated fans to favorites "God Only Knows" and "Surfin' U.S.A."

To the credit of the newly opened GRAMMY Museum, this wonderful evening, the first in a series of "Evening with" events (jazz great Charlie Haden will be the next guest on January 21) amazingly only cost members $18 and non-member s $19.95. Talk about a bargain!

In the midst of a promotiona l tour to celebrate the release of That Lucky Old Sun DVD on January 27, fans can catch the following Brian Wilson events:

Jan 24 - Autograph signing at Guitar Center Hollywood (12pm) and Guitar Center Northridge (5pm)

Jan 25 - Autograph signing at Guitar Center La Mesa in San Diego (1pm)

Jan 28 - Brian Wilson concert at The Wiltern in Los Angeles

Jan 29 - Brian Wilson concert at House of Blues in San Diego

Jan 30 - World Premiere of Going Home documentar y at Santa Barbara Film Festival

For more informatio n on the GRAMMY Museum go to www.grammymuse um.org.

[Photo Credit: James Minchin III]

"There are things I would do differentl y if given the chance." - George W. Bush

"A fool despises good counsel, but a wise man takes it to heart." - Confucius& nbsp;

By Fred Mills

That odd calming sensation you're experienci ng? Assuming you haven't been dipping into Mommy's Xanax stash again (hint: six tabs and a shot of tequila can feel awesome), it must be the sense of psychic relief slowly coming on as we approach next Tuesday, Inaugurati on Day.

Change? We sure need it.

I know I need it - this past 8 years has made me feel bitter, angry and spiteful. I get angry over the fact that I've gotten angry, even! 8 years ago this month my first child was born (no, his first words weren't "Bush sucks" but I did teach him that mantra eventually ), and while I'm terrified about what the future holds for him in the aftermath of the Bush administra tion, I'm just thankful that he now has a chance to grow up in what's potentiall y an era of tolerance and hope, and that he'll no longer have to see his Daddy red-faced and apoplectic at what I see on TV or read in the newspaper. Children need a chance to prolong their innocence for as long as possible, and I fear that despite our strongest efforts as parents, Bush & Co. have stolen a good chunk of that innocence and made the world a meaner, darker place.

***

A joke, from the early days of the Bush administra tion:

The heads of state of the US, England, France and Mexico are on an airplane flight when the pilot announces that they're experienci ng difficulty and have been jettisonin g cargo to lighten the plane but to no avail, and therefore one of the four men is going to have to bail in order to save the plane and the other three. The French president gets up, walks over to the hatch, nobly shouts "Viva la France!", and jumps out. The plane keeps losing altitude, however, and the pilot announces that a second man will have to bail. The British prime minister gets up, walks over to the hatch, nobly shouts, "God save the Queen!", and jumps out. But the plane still keeps losing altitude, and the pilot announces that yet a third man will have to bail. George Bush gets up, walks over to the hatch, shouts "Remember the Alamo!" and shoves the Mexican president out.

***

Not so funny anymore, is it folks?

Meanwhile, for a horrifying , if mercifully brief, period last night, the Criminal In Chief took center stage one again to remind us of where we are and how we got here. It was like a 13-minute migraine, a pounding blackness spreading from the front of the lobes all the way to the back of the neck. The subsequent cracking and moaning noises across America were the sounds of thousands of emergency massages being applied to the shoulder, neck and temple regions. President Bush delivered his farewell address, defending once again his astonishin g 8-year record on the grounds of having to deploy "tough decisions" while giving mere lipservice to what those decisions led to when he noted he'd "experienc ed setbacks."

"There are things I would do differentl y if given the chance," Bush said, offhandedl y, as if he were an athlete giving a locker-roo m recap of a game that had just been lost rather than a leader of the free world who almost singlehand edly brought our country to its knees in the eyes of the rest of the planet while wrecking our economy, shredding our constituti on, and making us more than just a little more unsafe from threats both within and without.

"I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right," added the commandant e.

Fair enough, George. Too bad every goddam thing you did was wrong, you little silver spoon redneck cocksucker . There are only three people in history, in my lifetime, that I yearn to one day have a chance piss upon their graves: Richard Nixon, Jesse Helms (whom I previously , um, eulogized quite tenderly), and you. The day your obituary appears in the newspaper will be one of my happiest days. I will read it gleefully aloud to my son, and I will remind him of everything that happened during the first 8 years of his life, hopefully rejoice over much that has happened since those first 8 years, and if there is any justice I will then take him out for a beer to celebrate.

Oh, and a big honkin' p.s. to everybody out there who ever voted for Bush, who ever made half-heart ed apologies for Bush, who ever gave Bush the benefit of the doubt - and as early as even Sept. 12, 2001, didn't bother to consult alternativ e media and look at the underlying motives of everything Bush was saying or doing and then ask questions of your own: kiss my ofay ass. You're just as complicit in the Bush crimes, and just as responsibl e for the mess we are in.

Change? Hell yeah, bring it on.

Forget? Never in your fucking life.

This has been a public service, with guitars, from BLURT. Opinions expressed herein are purely my own, but I have no doubt they are shared by many.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/ca ble/satell ite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

Saturday, January 17:

3:30 Rave HD: Dave Fanning Interview: Rod Stewart

4:00 Rave HD: Far Aid

6:00 Sundance: Live From Abbey Road: Matchbox 20, The Script, Def Leppard

8:00 Fuse: Fall Out Boy Live From Chicago

8:00 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: Constantin es

9:00 PBS: Austin City Limits: Foo Fighters

9:00 Fuse: Purple Rain

10:30 Dave Fanning Interview: Paul Weller

11:30 NBC Saturday Night Live: Fleet Foxes

Sunday, January 18:

2:00 HD Net: Nerina Pallot & Rocco Deluca - Live at Cornbury

3:00 HD Net: Hives - Live from TErminal F, NYC

4:00 HD Net: Funk Brothers

5:05 HD Net: Bon Jovi - Live from Nokia Theatre, NYC

6:30 RHD Net: Todd Rundgren - The Arena Tour

7:00 Rave HD: Elvis Costello Live in Montreal

9:00 NBC: Saturday Night Live Presidenti al Bash

9:30 Fuse: Foo Fighters Rock the Garden

10:30 Fuse: Killers Rock Fuse

11:30 Fuse: Live from Voodoo Experience

Monday, January 19:

2:00 Rave HD: David Gilmour - Live from Royal Albert Hall

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Broken Social Scene

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: Jimmy Fallon, Lee Ann Womack

12:35 NBC: Conan O'Brien: Q-Tip

12:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello w/Rufus Wainwright

12:00 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Kathy Griffin, Mike Birbiglia

12:35 CBS: Craig Ferguson: Seal

1:35 NBC: Carson Daly: Unwritten Law

Rumored to be re-learnin g the lyrics to "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" upon learning his cell mate "Rocco" had told reporters he was looking forward to "having a new bitch"...

By Fred Mills

For we humans, there are a few reassuring constants: birth, death, taxes, insane blogging from Courtney Love - and Boy George fucking up big time every year or so. Sadly, however, starting right now we'll have to wait at least 15 months for more of the latter: the Boy (George O'Dowd) has been sentenced to prison time after being found guilty of false imprisonme nt last month.

Sharp memories will recall that the erstwhile Culture Club front-thin g had taken a male escort who he'd met on social networking site Gaydar home with him back in April of 2007, and following a disagreeme nt that, depending on who tells the story (Boy George or the ho), either concerned some cocaine, lewd photos and a laptop (a "cocaine-f ueled pornograph ic photo shoot" that took place a few months earlier is how it's been described) or a refusal on the part of the latter to have sex with the former. Boy George reportedly handcuffed the guy to his bed, beat him with a chain, taunted him, and forced him to listen to hours of old Culture Club records (okay, we made that last part up). "Fucking whore! Now you're going to get what you deserve," Boy George told the escort at some point during all this.

Boy George did not testify in his own defense at the trial but his lawyer chalked the incident up to being drug-craze d at the time and said that the now-recove ring addict is a "kind and generous man...he is on the way back from that nether world. I am emboldened to say that there is enormous hope." His brother David told reporters that the singer didn't want to upset him mum with all the lurid details.

Ahem. We seriously doubt there's anything he could do at this point that would raise her blood pressure any higher. Those photos of him doing community service (picking up garbage, etc.) in New York following a 2006 cocaine bust) were worth the price of a few heart attacks alone.

Boy George did, however, allude to his court case while onstage in London on December 17, commenting , "I like to think you can say a lot by saying nothing," he said. "I'll just say this: none of us are defined by our mistakes."

Fair enough. If that logic works for George W. Bush, it can work for the other Boy George.

Working on a BitTorrent AND a "Dream"....

By Fred Mills

You might recall how back in September of 2007 Bruce Springstee n's album Magic was leaked in its entirety to the web well in advance of its official Oct. 2 release date. And as hardcore Boss fans were learning last week, the forthcomin g Springstee n album Working On A Dream has also hit the Internet prior to the Jan. 27 street date.

It's all over BitTorrent sites and other assorted download and peer-to-pe er portals, in varying degrees of quality, so happy hunting, campers! Meanwhile, you can watch the official promo video for "My Lucky Day," below.

And for those of you out there who balk at the ethical ramificati ons of obtaining music off the web before the artist or label wants it to be in your hands, you can go to NPR Music starting at 11:59 TONIGHT: that's when the album will be streamed - legitimate ly - during the week leading up to the Jan. 27 release. Go to: www.npr.org/music

[Photo Credit: Danny Clinch]

First signings rumored to be Pete Doherty, Boy George, Courtney Love, Weiland and, uh, the dead guy from Alice In Chains...

By Fred Mills

While America takes a deep breath and reflects today, the rest of the world continues apace - to wit, news arriving from the British media that Amy Winehouse, who's been vacationin g lately in St. Lucia, canoodling with a new boyfriend, and declaring herself drug free, is launching her own record label. No, she's not calling it Crack City Records; the proposed name is Lioness, and the label will bow with a record from Winehouse' s goddaughte r, 13-year old upstart (and YouTube sensation) Dionne Bromfield.

Reports indicate the Winehouse is putting a million pounds into the label and release (which has already included a 15,000 pound tally to give the young diva singing lessons - not a good sign). Speaking to reporters last year, Winehouse enthused, "Dionne is young but she has more potential than any girl I've ever seen. I know she's got an advantage by knowing me but I'd put her in a room against anyone and she'd do the business."

Advantage?

View the YouTube video, a cover of Alicia Keyes' "If I Ain't Got You," below. It features Winehouse playing guitar and was shot by Pete Doherty.

Latest way-cool offering from Saddle Creek.

By Blurt Staff

A seemingly unlikely collaborat ion but one that has borne compelling and captivatin g results, O+S has completed its self-title d debut, to be released March 24 on Saddle Creek Records. Buoyed by Orenda Fink's (Azure Ray, Art In Manila) lilting vocals and propelled by the sonic collages of Scalpelist (aka Cedric LeMoyne of Remy Zero), the album is a hauntingly beautiful collection of light/dark , electronic -tinged pop, drawing inspiratio n equally from the films of David Lynch as well as classic 4AD Records.

This intriguing musical alliance sprouted from an experiment directly linked to Fink's residency at the esteemed Bemis Center of Contempora ry Arts in Omaha. The aural nature of this art project steered Fink on a series of sound-coll ecting excursions that extended beyond her home in Omaha to Alabama, and ultimately Haiti. "My idea was to go and collect field recordings from all over. Places that inspired me in a kind of atmospheri c way," Fink reveals.

With a recorder filled with sounds and a head full of ideas, Fink called her near two-decade -long friend and fellow Alabama native LeMoyne to assist with her endeavor. In no time at all, LeMoyne found himself taking residence at the Center, diligently constructi ng the random noises into structures , and eventually , pop songs.

"We'd take samples of sounds of Haitian rituals, street noises or whatever, then cut them into loops," LeMoyne explains. "We'd arrange them into forms and write songs with them, or Orenda might have started a song and I would take some of these sound materials to create bodies of music around it." As the experiment began to take shape, both recognized the potential beyond the Bemis residency and decided to graduate from art project to a true musical entity.

The resulting album is a stirring, melodious reverie that thrusts forward with a constant thump of drum loops and jutting bass lines, shifting from acoustic guitar and angelic coos to plodding piano. Fink's celestial vocals float along like a cloud, ever so gently peeking in and out on cue, while tinkling bells and a mél ange of unidentifi able voices lurk in the sidelines.

With nearly 90% of the album completed in separate states, O+S is about to be reunited, as they prepare to take their sonic pastiche on the road. Tour dates to be announced soon.

Let's hold off on making those moldy old Bono jokes, shall we folks?

By Fred Mills

Interestin g story posted the other day at The Consumeris t: "Tribute Band Scammed By Fake Check." Apparently a Los Angeles-ba sed U2 Tribute band, Hollywood U2, was booked by a gentleman named Rodrigues Collins to play a party in San Francisco, and after negotiatio ns were completed Collins sent the band a cashier's check for $4500 to cover the 20% deposit plus airfare and accommodat ions. The band deposited the check, and it cleared.

However, the check would subsequent ly turn out to be fraudulent - this was an ages-old "advance fee fraud" scam; the Consumeris t site has links that will take you to breakdowns of how various scams work - but in the meantime the band was also tricked into sending money back to Collins, who was claiming he would take care of booking the flights, etc. himself.

While Hollywood U2 should have been immediatel y suspicious about the situation (Collins had them wire the money to Spain via Western Union, which should have been a huge red flag right there), the original cashier's check had cleared, after all, before it, er, "uncleared ." And because of the way the banking laws are written, the depositor is ultimately responsibl e for any deposit he makes.

As the Consumeris t puts it, the bottom line is that along with the fact that the band should alter the way it accepts booking fees, "any time a potential customer asks for immediate cash back on a deposit, consider it a red flag that something might be wrong with the scenario."

All you other bands out there, beware this scam.

And say what you will about tribute bands (I myself have had a lot to say about them in the past, not much of it very positive): ripping off musicians is among the lowest of the low things that anybody can do. C'mon, crooks - there are bankers, lawyers and mimes out there that need a good thrashing. Leave our artists alone.

Seriously a victory lap...

By Blurt Staff

DJ Z-Trip's gone to the Obama well again and has created yet another Barack Obama tribute that he's giving away for free at his official website. Titled "Victory Lap: The Obama Mix Pt.2," it comes on the heels of his earlier "The Obama Mix" (also available for free).

Go HERE to nab both MP3s.

In Z-Trip's words, "Last week I was contacted by MoveOn.org to put something together for an email blast they are doing for the lead up to the inaugurati on. This one is called ‘Vic tory Lap: The Obama Mix Pt. 2'. It's my way of congratula ting all of us for electing what I think is the right person for the job. We made history and I'm proud to be a part of that. Yes, my friends, it is time to celebrate, but please don't lose sight of the mess we are still in, there is plenty of work that lies ahead.

"Let's make some changes! By the way, this is a radio friendly mix, and feel free to pass it on to anyone you'd like. In case you missed it, you can still grab the first Obama mix I did back in October, as well as my older mixes. I'm looking forward to the future. Peace, Z-TRIP."

For those not in the know about the godfather of the mashup:

Z-Trip is one of the biggest DJs of our time, doing over 100 shows a year, every year. Considered by many to be a founder of the mash-up movement, his musical tastes are eclectic and his mixing style rejects simple classifica tion. His early independen t releases have become highly sought after collectibl es. Uneasy Listening, the collaborat ion with DJ P, was one of the first of its kind, and has sold for as much as $500 on eBay.
No other DJ can claim playing to 500,000 people opening for the Rolling Stones at Sars-stock in Toronto, playing the Bonaroo main stage to over 70,000 people 2 years in a row, in addition to headlining a tent at Coachella twice. He's also been busy around the world doing the Good Vibrations Festival in Australia 2006, as a headliner. All of this in addition to his US and internatio nal headlining sold out shows, and multiple club residencie s.

Z-Trip's major label debut "Shifting Gears" was given 4 stars by Rolling Stone-it's highest honor. The first single "Walking Dead" went Top 20 and featured Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. The album also had two Number 1s on the college chart. "Listen to the DJ" featuring Soup of Jurassic 5 and "Shock and Awe" featuring Chuck D. He's also a master of the remix, with a stand out re-working of The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" on "Motown Remixed". Z-Trip can be seen in the movie "Scratch" (and "Scratch Live") alongside Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike and originator s of the art form like Afrika Bambaataa and Jazzy Jay. In addition, he's appeared in "Brainfree ze" and "Product Placement" , two live concert movies, both of which feature friends DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/ca ble/satell ite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

Tuesday, January 20:

1:15 Sundance: The Rock and Roll Kid Danny Sveinson

8:00 ABC: Neighborho od Inaugural Ball w/Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira and Stevie Wonder, Nick Cannon

8:00 BET: Yes We Will Inaugural Celebratio n w/Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean, Nick Cannon, Terrence Howard, Queen Latifah, Ne-Yo, Anita Baker, Jazmine Sullivan, and Joss Stone

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Leona Lewis

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: Buckcherry

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Sarah Silverman, Soulja Boy, Barack Obama (right...)

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Los Straightja ckets

12:35 CBS Craig Ferguson: Submarines

Wednesday, January 21:

9:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello w/Kris Kristoffer son, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones, John Mellencamp

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Fall Out Boy

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: Musiq Soulchild

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Thriving Ivory

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Fall Out Boy

12:35 CBS Craig Ferguson: Trace Adkins

By Blurt Staff

From George Clinton at the American Music Legends bash and Elvis Costello doing the Creative Coalition Ball to Rufus Wainwright at the Out For Equality party and Justin Sane & Anti Flag tearing it up at Demand In D.C., today's the day for music lovers to be in our nation's capital. (Source: Billboard magazine.) Note that some of these will be broadcast on TV, while others may have live web feeds.

Neighborho od Inaugural Ball
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall D, 7:00pm
Tickets are required to attend this official ball, but it will also be broadcast on ABC beginning at 8:00pm ET/PT. The event will include performanc es by Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira and Stevie Wonder. Nick Cannon will DJ. More info: www.pic2009.org

President Obama Home States Ball
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall E, 7:00pm
Official Ball. Tickets Required. Performers include Common, Jack Johnson, and the Don Cagen Orchestra.  More info: www.pic2009.org

Commander- in-Chief's Ball
National Building Museum, 7:00 pm
Official Ball. Tickets Required. Performers to be announced. More info: www.pic2009.org

Vice President Biden Home States Ball
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Ballroom, 8:00pm.
Official Ball. Tickets Required. Performers include Maroon 5 and the James Gerard Orchestra. More info: www.pic2009.org

Mid-Atlant ic Ball
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall A, 8:00 pm.
Tickets are required to attend this official ball which will feature performanc es by the Dead  and DJ Cassidy. More info: www.pic2009.org

Midwestern Ball
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall C, 8:00 pm.
Official Ball. Tickets Required. Performers include Sheryl Crow and Fabulous Motown Revue. More info: www.pic2009.org

Western Ball
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall B, 8:00 pm.
Official Ball. Tickets Required. Performers include Marc Anthony and Party on the Moon. More info: www.pic2009.org

Youth Ball
Hilton Washington , 9:00 pm.
Official Ball. Tickets Required. Performers to be announced. More info: www.pic2009.org

Eastern Ball
Union Station, 8:00 pm.
Official Ball. Tickets Required. Performers include James Taylor and Liquid Pleasure with Kenny Mann. More info: www.pic2009.org

Southern Ball
DC Armory, 8:00 pm.
Official Ball. Tickets Required. Performers include The Derek Trucks Band with Susan Tedeschi and the Wil Gravatt Band. More info: www.pic2009.org

Inaugural Peace Ball
Smithsonia n Institutio n National Postal Museum, 7:00 pm
Hosted by Harry Belafonte, Joan Baez, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Angelique Kidjo, Bernice Johnson Reagon & Toshi Reagon, Fertile Ground, Holly Near and Emma's Revolution , Ayanna Gregory, Sekou da Misfit and Steve Connell will perform. Nobel Price Laureate Jody Williams, author Alice Walker and playwright Eve Ensler are among the others who will appear. More info: www.peaceball.org

Rock The Vote CK One Inaugurati on Party
9:30 Club, 8:00pm
Michael Franti (acoustic) , Talib Kweli, The Dresden Dolls, Honey Brothers feat. Adrian Grennier, Burke, Ari  Gold, Andrew Vladeck and others will perform. More info: www.rockthevot e.com/inaugu ration

Creative Coalition 2009 Inaugural Ball
Harman Center for the Arts, 8:00 pm
Sting, Elvis Costello and Sam Moore are reportedly playing at this party which will also be attended by celebritie s including Spike Lee, Ron Howard, Ann Hathaway and Maggie Gyllenhaal . More info: www.thecreativ ecoalition .org
 

American Music Legends Inaugural Ball
Wardman Park Marriott, 8:00 pm
Co-hosted Dionne Warwick and Yolanda Adams, the event includes two parties, a Legend's Ball and an Urban Ball. The Legend Ball will feature performanc es by George Clinton, Kirk Franklin, Chaka Khan, the Temptation s, The OJays and others. The Urban ball will feature Outkast's Big Boi, T-Pain, David Banner, Monica, Fantasia, the Cheetah Girls, and others. More info: www.americanmu sicinaugur alballs.com

 
Time For Hope Inaugural Jazz Gala
The Carlyle Club, Alexandria VA, 7:00 pm
Features performanc es by Darren Rahn, keyboardis t Nate Harasim and the Phillip Martin Project. More info: www.thecarlyle club.com

 
The Inaugural Purple Ball
Fairmont Hotel, 7:00 pm
Features performanc es by Il Divo and Peter Cincotti. More info: www.inauguralp urpleball.com

 
We the People Presidenti al Inaugural Gala and Ball
Hyatt Regency
Billed as featuring BeBe Winans and Tony Rich live, the event will also include "secret guests." More info: www.wethepeopl egala.com

Demand in DC: Applauding the Empowermen t of People Thru Art, Film and Music
The Black Cat
Performers at this concert include by Anti-Flag, United Nations, The Akas, and Ruiner. More info: www.anti-flag.com

Yes We Will: BET's Inaugurati on Celebratio n
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8:00pm
Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean, Nick Cannon, Terrence Howard, Queen Latifah, Ne-Yo, Anita Baker, Jazmine Sullivan, and Joss Stone are among the many artists performing at the network's ball. More info: BET

Out For Equality Ball
Renaissanc e Mayflower Hotel, 7:00 pm
The Human Rights Campaign hosts the Equality Ball, featuring performanc es by Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright , Thelma Houston, Dave Koz and others to be announced. More info: www.hrc.org

The People's Inaugural Ball
The Grand Hyatt Hotel, 7:00 pm
The Vanessa Rubin Quartet featuring Wycliffe Gordon and DJ Jerome Cooper of Coopertune s anchor this jazz-orien ted ball. More info: www.peoplesina uguralgala .com

"We have chosen hope over fear."-the 44^th President of the United States

By Blurt Staff

And change is here. "We have chosen hope over fear."

You gotta love a guy that can flub his swearing-i n speech and still look like the man who'll lead us out of this darkness.

Queen of soul... first lady of soul... both apply.

By Blurt Staff

At the inaugurati on today Aretha Franklin performed "My Country ‘tis of Thee" and effectivel y claimed the timeless song as her own. You can see a video of her entire performanc e over at MSNBC.com, and we'll post it here as well as soon as it shows up on YouTube (the news channel's embed codes appear to be faulty at the moment).

Meanwhile, someone has already posted a portion of it to YouTube, claiming to have caught Aretha saying to someone "shut up" during the song! We don't think that's actually the case; it appears she was just expelling/ taking a deep breath. Still... judge for yourself.

 UPDA TE: the full performanc e just turned up, see below.

Brought to you by your friendly neighborho od BLURT.

By Blurt Staff

Rigt about now, this band is getting to be our favorite on the whole damn planet... check out the exclusive BLURT premiere of Deerhoof's latest video for "Buck and Judy," directed by C. Spencer Yeh. Afterwards , lay your eyes on our live footage of the same song, filmed for BLURT by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green (aka TrixieDVD.com) at D.C.'s 9:30 Club last October. We've got more Deerhoof exclusives in our video kiosk as well.

About the video:

C. Spencer Yeh was born in Taipei, Taiwan, studied Radio/Tele vision/Fil m at Northweste rn University in Chicago IL, and is now based out of Cincinnati OH.  He is active in music with his primary project, Burning Star Core, and in his own name as a composer, improviser , and collaborat or.  In the video medium he has worked with artists such as G.X. Jupitter-L arsen, Hair Police, Wolf Eyes, and Lo-Vid, in creating videos and interactiv e DVDs, with some of these works presented internatio nally.  Being a fan and friend of Deerhoof, Yeh was not only excited to be able to work with the group, but to also exercise his video capabiliti es.  "Buck and Judy" addresses and explores music video and animation convention s, as well as stream-of- consciousn ess and narrative, in a hermetic and intimate "desktop/b edroom video" environmen t, being wholly scripted, storyboard ed, illustrate d, animated, and edited by Yeh.

The words "change" and "hope" take on new meanings starting NOW.

By Fred Mills

Trying to process everything that's happened since Nov. 4 has been challengin g. It's easy enough to mouth the buzzwords "change" and "hope" and numerous others that cropped up during the election; it's an entire other thing to figure out exactly what kind of change one needs, desires or expects, and to express exactly what having hope is all about.

It finally started coming into focus yesterday, during the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. The local radio station was playing a lot of civil rights-the med music and additional ly aired the famous speech that King gave not long before his assassinat ion. Eating lunch during all this with my 8-year old son, I talked to him about the King era - about how I grew up during segregatio n in the South, how during my first 6 or 7 years of education there were no African-Am erican kids allowed to attend the same school as I did, and how after integratio n was fully implemente d in the South the fact that his grandmothe r had been a member of the local school board and helped try to ensure that everything went smoothly (it didn't, of course, and we even received phoned threats at our house).

He told me a little about what they'd studied about King at his school and seemed to have a pretty good grasp of the man's importance . He wasn't quite so clear on the whole notion of segregatio n, I don't think, and in a way, that's good. He has plenty of time to study it more in-depth in school, after all. You see, he's known and played with kids of other races since he was 13 months old, from the time he started daycare. He doesn't even think in terms of "African-A merican" or "Asian" or "Mexican" or any such labels that connote some form of "other-nes s"; the only times I've heard him rely on any form of labeling has been to describe gradations in skin color (dark, light tan, etc.) when asked to describe someone.

In my miniscule corner of the world, he represents our future for an eventual colorblind society.

***

As the excitement in my house grew during the run-up to Nov. 4, my son gleefully came along for the ride. Lots of "Bush sucks!" rhetoric, of course, but he also enjoyed the time we spent canvassing and calling folks for the Obama campaign during the last days of get-out-th e-vote. On Election Night, he insisted that we wake him up before we went to bed ourselves to let him know if Obama had won.

Meanwhile, in the world at large, things were getting progressiv ely grimmer, from internatio nal events to the domestic financial situation. It was almost as if 8 years of the Bush administra tion had finally reached a horrifying climax. On more than one occasion I told folks that I finally understood what it must have been like for earlier generation s, growing up under the shadows of the Depression or a major war and worrying about what their children would have to face. I cannot adequately express the anxiety I've experience d of late, fretting over my son's future and what I can or am supposed to do to ensure that he has every opportunit y to reach that future unscathed. It's made me, at times, angry, bitter, self-absor bed, and just downright irrational .

So this morning, our family is sitting there in the living room, watching the swearing-i n ceremony followed by our new President' s speech. And since my kid and a friend of his who was visiting had been very patient and respectful through the whole process, I tell them that they can go back downstairs and resume playing if they wanted to.

My son glances over at me, and with a look I don't think I've seen before, says very casually, "No daddy, that's okay. I want to watch this. It's important."

Coming from a child who less than an hour earlier had griped loudly about having to pull  away from some apparently very intense Lego activity in order to watch the inaugurati on, this startled, and pleased, me.

Because somehow he knew and understood that he was bearing witness to history. Imagine that - in an 8 year old kid.

In that instance, seeing things through his eyes, I gained a sense, on an entirely new level, of what change and hope can mean.

We have absolutely no verificati on of this rumor. In fact, we aren't sure there's even a rumor at all! But hey.... controvers y is controvers y, real, imagined or otherwise.

By Fred Mills

Following the public unveiling of the sleeve art for U2's forthcomin g No Line on the Horizon, shit-stirr ing holier-tha n-thou indie rockers across the land (and even overseas) wrung their hairy palms, gnashed their artificial ly whitened teeth and rent (rended?) their PETA-appro ved garments over the striking similarity between it and indie musicians Taylor Deupree & Richard Chartier's 2006 album Specificat ion. Fifteen. Both, pictured below, feature as part of the art a photo by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. U2 sleeve is on the right.

Upon learning of what some pundits are terming a "ripoff," Deupree took to the blogospher e with a self-style d rant that read, in part, "ok, come on people (meaning, U2/et al.) do some research before you release an album cover.... before you let people run off about how "cool" the new U2 cover is.. show them ours first..."

This, despite the fact that an artist is presumably free to sell or license his work to anybody for any purpose unless there are some specific preexistin g contractua l limitation s. To his credit, Deupree added that his sleeve was created "directly in conjunctio n with Sugimoto" related to a museum retrospect ive going on at the time, so there may have been a presumptio n of some sort of limitation , even if just based on a handshake.

In a subsequent post, Deupree clarified his position, writing that he was "tired of this whole ‘con troversy'" - which, indeed, had been stirred up by the aforementi oned hairy palms brigade - and that he had "never suggested there was any legal issue."

Deupree: "this minor ordeal has become more a question of a project that was small, intimate and experiment al (and the chance of a lifetime for a small artist) vs. the massive pop culture machine. in the end we all know who wins. so i'm going to shut up now.'

Meanwhile, no one has bothered to point out that the incident has given Deupree and his partner more free publicity than they've ever gotten in their brief and extremely under-the- radar career. Suck it up, kids, and enjoy the inevitable spike in record sales. You've earned it.

Meanwhile, rumors swirl that the heirs of surrealist painter Rene Magritte, looking for ways to get an uptick in digital media attention to papa, are trying to figure out some way they can drum up a controvers y over the similarity between Magritte's legendary 1952 painting The Listening Room and the sleeve of guitar legend Jeff Beck's 1969 Jeff Beck Group LP Beck-Ola (Cosa Nostra).

Never mind that the image was licensed by Beck's label for the sleeve - controvers y's controvers y, and controvers y moves product in these modern times!

While most eyes were trained on the Washington celebratio ns, Los Angeles was doing it up in that delightful ly twisted fashion that only L.A. can summon.

By Jose Martinez

Los Angeles definitely got its presidenti al groove on last night as change was ushered in, West Coast style. Yes, the City of Angels welcomed Brotha Barack as our new fearless Commander and Chief as spectators and revelers at the famed Mayan Theatre in downtown LA took a glimpse at the other side of the "mountain top," and let me tell you, we liked what we saw.

Presented by Athena Demos' Wonderland adVentures , the night featured entertainm ent from The Mutaytor, The Crystal Method, and DJ Motion Potion. "This night is extra special," organizer Demos explained. "All the artists came together to celebrate Barack Obama and his hope for change."

As a sold out audience, decked out in all kinds of "formal" attire celebrated the end of 8 years of Bush, there seemed to be no turning back from the welcomed mayhem.

Things seemed to come together as The Crystal Method, originally scheduled to perform in Costa Rica only to have their show fall through, opted to wave their normal fee in lieu of the night's significan ce.

And even thought the night was all about Obama and the possibilit y of actual change for the better for all of us, it's hard not to say the night wasn't all about The Mutaytor after witnessing their spectacula r set. Heavy on percussion and rhythm (the band features John Avila of Oingo Boingo fame on bass), The Mutaytor is an 11-piece modern analog and electronic dance orchestra, featuring a 15-member visual team creating a rapid fire  succession  of&n bsp;futuri stic, vaudevilli an th eatre and c horeograph ed da nce acts, coupled with breathtaki ng feats of aerial performanc e, giant screen visuals and unique reinterpre tations of the circus arts.

Self described "laptop rocker" Atom Smith of The Mutaytor admitted that election night was "bitterswe et for some (speaking about California 's controvers ial Propositio n 8), but that's not what tonight is about. We're celebratin g tonight!"

Mutaytor dancer and aerialist Neal Everett described the night as "just a chance to create a performanc e about hope and change."

Describing a Mutaytor show as a "blend of energy, music, visual effects, stunts, and kids acting like daredevils ," Everett and Company left no doubt that we're not settling for the status quo anymore. In fact, LA natives should make it a point to catch their March 7 show at the Hollywood Palladium with Les Claypool, Saul Williams, and the Yard Dogs.

While DC played it safe with off key performanc es from Aretha Franklin (she may be a legend but home girl needs to stop singing if she's going to just be the equivalent to nails on a chalk board) and to put-me-to- sleep sets from the likes of Josh Groban, LA got it right and delivered the goods in a decadent and sleazy style that only Hollywood can muster. And thank God for that!

Well-wishe rs, as part of the global community can share their hopes, wishes, and messages of support to President Barack Obama by signing the guestbook at www.Congratula tePresiden tObama.com.

 [Pho tos credit: Jose Martinez]

Touring behind wetting-th e-critics' -pants-kin da new album...

By Blurt Staff

Animal Collective will be embarking on a month long tour this spring in support of Merriweath er Post Pavilion.  The album, available now on Domino Records, is Animal Collective 's ninth studio album and was recorded with Ben Allen in Oxford, Mississipp i. Critics are eating the stuff up, tossing around superlativ es like they were tennis balls.

Here's what BLURT had to say in the review we posted Monday:

Merriweath er Post Pavilion may be the most hyped album by a band few people have ever heard of. Before it was even officially released, bloggers were proclaimin g it the best album of 2009. In this case, you can believe the hype - well, most of it anyway.

Merriweath er is a very strong album and another step forward for an already-te rrific band. But it's not quite a masterpiec e. What Animal Collective has done is combine the electronic s, psychedeli a and tribal rhythms of its previous records with the Beach-Boys -In-Space sound of band member Panda Bear's 2007 solo album Person Pitch. The result is an album that's both experiment al and accessible , a rare feat. But like Person Pitch, there are times when Merriweath er is too focused on a sound or mood, instead of on actual songs. For every "Summertim e Clothes," which could be played on Top 40 radio in an alternate universe, there are other tracks that, while always interestin g, tend to run together.

In other words, it's an album well worth owning. Just don't sell your copy of Pet Sounds for it.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE TOUR DATES

May 11, 09  Wash ington,&nb sp;DC - 9:30 Club

May 12, 09  Phil adelphia, PA - Electric Factory

May 13, 09  New York, NY - Terminal 5

May 14, 09  Bost on, MA - House of Blues

May 15, 09  Mont real, PQ - Metropolis

May 16, 09  Toro nto, ON - Sound Academy

May 18, 09  Roya l Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall

May 19, 09  Milw aukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom

May 20, 09  Minn eapolis, MN - First Avenue

May 24, 09  Vanc ouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom

May 25, 09  Port land, OR - Roseland Theater

May 26, 09  Oakl and, CA - Fox Theatre

May 27, 09  Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Memorial Library

May 29, 09  Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern

May 30, 09  Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

May 31, 09  Tucs on, AZ - Rialto Theater

Jun 01, 09   Albuquerqu e, MN - Sunshine Theater

Jun 02, 09   Boulder, CO - Boulder Theatre

Jun 04, 09   Dallas, TX - House Of Blues

Jun 05, 09   Austin, TX - Stubbs

Jun 06, 09   Oxford, MS - The Library

Jun 08, 09   St. Petersburg , FL - State Theatre

Jun 09, 09   Fort Lauderdale , FL - Culture Room

Jun 10, 09   Orlando, FL - Club Firestone

Rare chance to see these three and others all on the same stage.

By Blurt Staff

Comedians David Cross, Zach Galifianak is, Janeane Garofalo, Demetri Martin, John Oliver and Paul F. Tompkins and other surprise guests will give BAC when they all perform on Stand-Ups Give BAC, a benefit for the Brooklyn Autism Center, on Tuesday, February 3, at 7:30 p.m., at Carolines on Broadway, 1626 Broadway, between 49th and 50th Streets, New York City.

Premium Seats are $150.00 per person. General Admission seats are $100.00 per person. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.brooklynau tismcenter .org or can be purchased at the door with cash or check. The ticket price includes two beverages and is a tax deductible donation. All proceeds from tickets sales will benefit the BAC.

"I am very excited about this event," says Sydnee Jorgl, president, board of directors, of BAC. "It will not only support children with autism, but also provide some laughter for parents, caregivers and the general public during a difficult economic time. We can all use a few laughs."

The Brooklyn Autism Center has created a model program second to none. Im proud to be associated with this outstandin g school and thank these world-clas s comedians for their generosity and support, says Marc Hischfeld, producer of the event.

About the Brooklyn Autism Center
The Brooklyn Autism Center is a not-for-pr ofit, 501(c)(3) school, serving children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Brooklyn, New York. The school was establishe d in the Fall of 2007. BACs program is founded by parents, educators and community activists who are determined to provide high quality, effective educationa l services for children on the Autism Spectrum. BACs philosophy is grounded in a data-based scientific study, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is the educationa l standard and best practice for children with autism. The BAC admits students of any race, color and ethnic origin. All the rights, privileges , admissions policies, scholarshi p and loan programs, athletic and other school-adm inistered programs are made available to all students.

About Carolines on Broadway
Carolines on Broadway presents the best live comedy entertainm ent in a spacious, upscale environmen t seven days a week, 365 days a year. Carolines on Broadway is located at 1626 Broadway, between 49th and 50th Streets, in the heart of New York Citys vibrant Times Square district. For more informatio n or to purchase tickets visit Carolines on Broadway online at www.carolines.com, or call 212.757.4100.

Definitive , indeed...

By Blurt Staff

British songwritin g icon Nick Lowe will release his definitive best of Quiet Please...The New Best of Nick Lowe on March 17, 2009.

Following his critically acclaimed solo album At My Age which People Magazine called "charming" and "timeless" and his near perfectly rated reissue of the classic Jesus of Cool (rated 9.3 by Pitchfork) , Nick Lowe is back with a career-spa nning two-disc best of collection . A deluxe version containing original-e ra vintage videos for classic tracks and live concert performanc e will also be available. Complete track listing with notes, below.

Quiet Please...The New Best of Nick Lowe looks back across the hit heavy career of one of pop music's most influentia l statesmen. As the bassist and songwriter for Brinsley Schwarz Lowe played a key role in the British pub rock movement of the 1970s and through his stint as house producer at Stiff Records he would help draw the blueprint for the modern indie rock label. His rough hewn production work for The Damned, Elvis Costello and The Pretenders primed the pumps for the arrival of punk and new wave. More recently Lowe has cemented his status as an artisan of americana soul with solo albums like The Convincer and At My Age.

The 49-track handpicked set chronicles original compositio ns from all phases of Lowe's career and exists as the new definitive best of collection for this oft-descri bed ‘son gwriter's songwriter .' The deluxe version of the set including DVD of nine original-e ra music videos for tracks like ‘I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass', ‘Lit tle Hitler,' ‘Cru el to Be Kind' as well as a 2007 concert filmed live in Belgium, set the collection apart from standard best of's and into the realm of bona fide collector' s items.

Disc One

(What's So Funny ‘Bou t) Peace, Love And Understand ing (3:33)

by Brinsley Schwarz

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Dave Edmunds

Single: United Artists [ UK ] UP 35700

From the album The New Favourites Of Brinsley Schwarz (United Artists [ UK ] UAS 29641) 1974

Musicians: Nick Lowe-bass, acoustic guitar; Brinsley Schwarz-electric guitar, backing vocals; Ian Gomm-guitar, backing vocals; Bob Andrews-keyboards, backing vocals; Billy Rankin-drums, percussion

So It Goes (2:33)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Jake Riviera

Singles: Stiff [ UK ] Buy 1 (August 1976); Columbia [US] 3-10734 (May 1978)

From the albums Jesus Of Cool (Radar [ UK ] RAD 1) and Pure Pop For Now People ( Columbia [US] JC 35329) 1978

Heart Of The City (2:07)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Jake Riviera

Single: B-side of Stiff [ UK ] BUY 1 (August 1976)

From the albums Hits Greatest Stiffs (Stiff [ UK ] FIST 1) 1977 and Pure Pop For Now People ( Columbia [US] JC 35329) 1978

Musicians (tracks 2, 3): Nick Lowe--guitar, bass; Steve Goulding-- drums

Endless Sleep (4:08)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

Single: B-side of Columbia [US] 3-10844 (September 1978)

From the EP Bowi (Stiff [ UK ] LAST 1) 1977

Musician: Nick Lowe-Senior Service cigarette lit by Swan Vesta match, Fender Telecaster guitar, cardboard box struck by cider bottle (possibly Bulmer's)

Marie Provost (2:49)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

From the EP Bowi (Stiff [ UK ] LAST 1) 1977 and the albums Jesus Of Cool (Radar [ UK ] RAD 1) and Pure Pop For Now People ( Columbia [US] JC 35329) 1978

Musicians: Nick Lowe-guitar, bass; Roger Bechirian- organ; Steve Goulding-drums; Dave Edmunds-backing vocals

I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass (3:13)

(N. Lowe-A. Bodnar-S. Goulding)

Produced by Nick  Lowe

Singles: Radar [ UK ] ADA 1 (February 1978); Columbia [US] 3-10844 (September 1978)

From the albums Jesus Of Cool (Radar [ UK ] RAD 1) and Pure Pop For Now People ( Columbia [US] JC 35329) 1978

Peak chart position: #7 UK

Musicians: Nick Lowe-guitar, backing vocals; Bob Andrews-piano; Andrew Bodnar-bass; Steve Goulding-drums; Roger Bechirian- tambourine , backing vocals

Cracking Up (2:58)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

Single: Radar [ UK ] ADA 34 (June 1979)

From the album Labour Of Lust (Radar [ UK ] RAD 21 and Columbia [US] JC 36087) 1979

Peak chart position: #34 UK

American Squirm (2:31)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

Single: Radar [ UK ] ADA 26 (October 1978)

From the album Labour Of Lust ( Columbia [US] JC 36087) 1979

Musicians: Nick Lowe-8-string bass; Billy Bremner-guitar, backing vocals; Bruce Thomas-bass; Pete Thomas-drums; Elvis Costello-backing vocals

Cruel To Be Kind (3:28)

(N. Lowe-I. Gomm)

Produced by Nick Lowe

Singles: Radar [ UK ] ADA 43 (September 1979); Columbia [US] 3-11018 (July 1979)

From the album Labour Of Lust (Radar [ UK ] RAD 21 and Columbia [US] JC 36087) 1979

Peak chart positions: #12 UK ; #12 US

Without Love (2:28)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

From the album Labour Of Lust (Radar [ UK ] RAD 21 and Columbia [US] JC 36087) 1979

You Make Me (1:52)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

From the album Labour Of Lust (Radar [ UK ] RAD 21 and Columbia [US] JC 36087) 1979

When I Write The Book (3:16)

by Rockpile

(N. Lowe-D. Edmunds-B. Bremner-T. Williams)

Produced by Nick Lowe & Rockpile

From the album Seconds Of Pleasure (F-Beat [ UK ] XXLP 7 and Columbia [US] JC 36886) 1980

(P) 1980 SONY BMG ENTERTAINM ENT

Under license from The SONY BMG Custom Marketing Group, a division of SONY BMG ENTERTAINM ENT

Play That Fast Thing (One More Time) (4:11)

by Rockpile

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe & Rockpile

From the album Seconds Of Pleasure (F-Beat [ UK ] XXLP 7 and Columbia [US] JC 36886) 1980

(P) 1980 SONY BMG ENTERTAINM ENT

Under license from The SONY BMG Custom Marketing Group, a division of SONY BMG ENTERTAINM ENT

Musicians (tracks&nb sp; 7, 9-13): Nick Lowe-bass; Dave Edmunds-guitar, piano, organ, backing vocals; Billy Bremner-guitar, backing vocals; Terry Williams-- drums

Burning (2:03)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

Single: F-Beat [ UK ] xx20 (February 1982)

From the album Nick The Knife (F-Beat [ UK ] XXLP 14 and Columbia [US] FC 37932) 1982

Heart (3:41)

(N. Lowe-D. Edmunds-B. Bremner-T. Williams)

Produced by Nick Lowe

From the album Nick The Knife (F-Beat [ UK ] XXLP 14 and Columbia [US] FC 37932) 1982

Raining Raining (2:48)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

From the album Nick The Knife (F-Beat [ UK ] XXLP 14 and Columbia [US] FC 37932) 1982

Musicians (tracks 14-16): Nick Lowe-bass, guitar, backing vocals; Billy Bremner, Martin Belmont and Aldo Bocca-guitars; Neil King, Carlene Carter, Steve Nieve, Ben Barson and Paul Carrack-piano and Hammond organ; James Eller-bass; Bobby Irwin-drums and backing vocals; Terry Williams-drums

Ragin' Eyes (2:40)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Roger Bechirian with Nick Lowe

Singles: F-Beat [ UK ] XX31 (April 1983); Columbia 12-inch promo AS 1626 (April 1983)

From the album The Abominable Showman (F-Beat [ UK ] XXLP 18 and Columbia [US] FC 38589) 1983

Mess Around With Love (3:06)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Roger Bechirian with Nick Lowe

From the album The Abominable Showman (F-Beat [ UK ] XXLP 18 and Columbia [US] FC 38589) 1983

Wish You Were Here (3:15)

duet with Paul Carrack

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Roger Bechirian with Nick Lowe

Single: Columbia [US] 38-03837 (April 1983)

From the album The Abominable Showman (F-Beat [ UK ] XXLP 18 and Columbia [US] FC 38589) 1983

Musicians (tracks 17-19): Nick Lowe-bass, guitar; Martin Belmont-guitar; Paul Carrack-keyboards, backing vocals; James Eller-bass; Bobby Irwin-drums, backing vocals

L.A.F.S. (3:33)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Elvis Costello with Colin Fairley

Single: F-Beat [ UK ] XX36 (July 1984)

From the album Nick Lowe And His Cowboy Outfit (F-Beat [ UK ] ZL 70338 and Columbia [US] FC 39371) 1984

Half A Boy And Half A Man (2:53)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe with Colin Fairley and Paul Bass

Singles: F-Beat [ UK ] XX34 (May 1984); Columbia [US] 38-04486 (June 1984); Columbia [US] 12-inch promo AS 1876 (May 1984)

From the album Nick Lowe And His Cowboy Outfit (F-Beat [ UK ] ZL 70338 and Columbia [US] FC 39371) 1984

Peak chart position: #53 UK

The Gee And The Rick And The Three Card Trick (4:21)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe with Colin Fairley and Paul Bass

From the album Nick Lowe And His Cowboy Outfit (F-Beat [ UK ] ZL 70338 and Columbia [US] FC 39371) 1984

Musicians (tracks 20-22): Nick Lowe-bass, guitar; Martin Belmont-guitar; Paul Carrack-keyboards, backing vocals; Bobby Irwin-drums, backing vocals; The TKO Horns (track 20 only): Dave Plews-trumpet; Paul Speare and Jeff Blythe-saxophones ; Jim Paterson-- trombone

The Rose Of England (3:26)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Colin Fairley

From the album The Rose Of England (F-Beat [ UK ] ZL 70765 and Columbia [US] FC 39958) 1985

Musicians: Nick Lowe-bass; Martin Belmont-guitar; Paul Carrack-piano, organ, backing vocals; Bobby Irwin-drums, backing vocals

I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock And Roll) (4:24)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Huey Lewis

Singles: F-Beat [ UK ] ZB 40303 (July 1985); Columbia [US] 38-05570 (August 1985); Columbia [US] 12-inch promo CAS 2171 (August 1985)

From the album The Rose Of England (F-Beat [ UK ] and Columbia [US] FC 39958) 1985

Peak chart position: #77 US

Musicians: Chris Hayes-lead guitar, backing vocals; Sean Hopper-keyboards, backing vocals; Huey Lewis-harmonica, backing vocals; Mario Cippolina- bass; Bill Gibson-drums, percussion , backing vocals; Johnny Colla-saxophone, guitar, backing vocals

Wishing Well (3:01)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

From the album Pinker And Prouder Than Previous (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 99 and Columbia [US] C 40381) 1988

Musicians: Nick Lowe-electric rhythm guitar; and The Men They Couldn't Hang: Paul Simmonds-lead guitar, bouzouki; Cush (Stefan Cush)-electric guitar, backing vocals; Swill (Phil Odgers)-acoustic guitar, backing vocals; Shanne Bradley-bass; Jon Odgers--drums

Disc Two

Lovers Jamboree (3:37)

(N. Lowe-P. Carrack)

Produced by Dave Edmunds

Singles: Columbia [US] 38-07734 (February 1988); Columbia [US] 12-inch promo CAS 2923 (February 1988)

From the album Pinker And Prouder Than Previous (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 99 and Columbia [US] C 40381) 1988

Musicians: Nick Lowe-bass, acoustic guitar; Martin Belmont-electric guitar; Paul Carrack-organ, piano; Terry Williams-- drums

Shting-Sht ang (3:20)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Dave Edmunds

From the album Party Of One (Reprise [ UK ] WX 337 and Reprise [ US ] 26132) 1990

All Men Are Liars (3:22)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Dave Edmunds

Singles: Reprise [ UK ] W 9821 (April 1990); Reprise [US] PRO CD 4057)

From the album Party Of One (Reprise [ UK ] WX 337 and Reprise [ US ] 26132) 1990

What's Shakin' On The Hill (4:01)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Dave Edmunds

Single: Reprise [ UK ] W 9709 (August 1990)

From the album Party Of One (Reprise [ UK ] WX 337 and Reprise [ US ] 26132) 1990

Musicians (tracks 2-4): Nick Lowe-bass; Bill Kirchen and Dave Edmunds-electric guitars; Ry Cooder-electric guitar; Paul Carrack-organ, piano; Austin Delone-piano, acoustic guitar; Ray Brown-string bass (track 4 only); Jim Keltner--drums

Don't Think About Her (2:58)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe

Demo recording, from the album The Doings (Edsel [ UK ] LOWE 50) 1999

Musician: Nick Lowe-acoustic guitar

Fool Who Knows (3:46)

by Little Village

(N. Lowe-R. Cooder-J. Hiatt-J. Keltner)

Produced by Little Village

From the album Little Village (Reprise [ UK & US] 26713) 1992

(P) 1992 Reprise Records

Produced under license from Warner Bros. Records Inc.

Musicians: Nick Lowe-bass; Ry Cooder-lead guitar; John Hiatt-guitar, "shadow" vocal; Jim Keltner--drums

Soulful Wind (3:01)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Impossible Bird (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 757 and Upstart [ US ] 013) 1994

The Beast In Me (2:28)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Impossible Bird (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 757 and Upstart [ US ] 013) 1994

I Live On A Battlefiel d (3:25)

(N. Lowe-P. Carrack)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Impossible Bird (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 757 and Upstart [ US ] 013) 1994

Shelley My Love (3:15)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Impossible Bird (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 757 and Upstart [ US ] 013) 1994

Musicians (tracks 7-10): Nick Lowe-acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, bass; Bill Kirchen-electric guitar, trombone (track 7); Gary Grainger-fuzz guitar (track 9); Geraint Watkins-organ, electric guitar; Paul "Bassman" Riley-bass (track 7); Robert Treherne-- drums

You Inspire Me (3:09)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album Dig My Mood (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 939 and Upstart [ US ] 038) 1998

Lonesome Reverie (2:52)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album Dig My Mood (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 939 and Upstart [ US ] 038) 1998

Faithless Lover (2:46)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album Dig My Mood (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 939 and Upstart [ US ] 038) 1998

What Lack Of Love Has Done (2:48)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album Dig My Mood (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 939 and Upstart [ US ] 038) 1998

Man That I've Become (2:53)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album Dig My Mood (Demon [ UK ] FIEND 939 and Upstart [ US ] 038) 1998

Musicians (tracks 11-15): Nick Lowe-bass, rhythm guitar; Steve Donnelly-lead guitar; Geraint Watkins-organ, piano, electric guitar; Robert Treherne-drums; Nick Pentelow-tenor sax (track 14)

Lately I've Let Things Slide (3:05)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Convincer (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 012 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2027) 2001

Homewrecke r (3:08)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Convincer (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 012 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2027) 2001

Has She Got A Friend? (2:38)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Convincer (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 012 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2027) 2001

Let's Stay In And Make Love (3:49)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Convincer (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 012 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2027) 2001

Indian Queens (3:43)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album The Convincer (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 012 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2027) 2001

Musicians (tracks 16-20): Nick Lowe-rhythm guitar, bass; Steve Donnelly-lead guitar; Geraint Watkins-organ, piano; Robert Treherne-drums; Matt Holland-flugelhorn (track 16); Tessa Niles-backing vocals (track 19); The St. Keverne Band (track 20)

I Trained Her To Love Me (3:00)

(N. Lowe-R. Treherne)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album At My Age (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 030 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2102) 2007

People Change (2:54)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album At My Age (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 030 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2102) 2007

Long Limbed Girl (2:53)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album At My Age (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 030 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2102) 2007

Hope For Us All (3:41)

(N. Lowe)

Produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank

From the album At My Age (Proper [ UK ] PRPCD 030 and Yep Roc [US] YEP 2102) 2007

Musicians (tracks 21-24): Nick Lowe-rhythm guitar, bass; Steve Donnelly-lead guitar; Geraint Watkins-organ, piano; Neil Brockbank- Vox organ (track 22); Matt Radford-double bass (tracks 21, 22); Robert Treherne-drums, backing vocals; Matt Holland-trumpet, flugelhorn , piano solo (track 22); Martin Winning-tenor sax; Bob Loveday-violin, viola (track 22); Linnea Svensson-backing vocal (track 24); Chrissie Hynde-vocal (track 22)

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/ca ble/satell ite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

Thursday, January 22:

2:30 VH1 Classic: That Metal Show: Ace Frehley

6:00 VH1 Classic: This Is Spinal Tap!

9:00 VH1 Classic: Rattle & Hum

9:00 Sundance: Iconoclast s: Bill Maher & Clive Davis

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Of Montreal

11:35 NBC Jay Leno: Lady Antebellum

12:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello w/Kris Kristoffer son, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones, John Mellencamp

1:35 NBC Carson Daly: Steve Knopper, Company of Thieves

Friday, January 23:

9:00 Regis & Kelly: Fall Out Boy

4:00 VH1 Classic: Rattle & Hum

6:00 VH1 Classic: Live Aid

9:00 Sundance: Live From Abbey Road: Elbow, MGMT, Alanis Morrisette

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Todd Rundgren

1:00 VH1 Classic: Heavy Metal (animated classic)

1:35 NBC Carson Daly: Joshua Radin

This just in... only two days into the Obama administra tion and things just got worse...

By Fred Mills

Music fans were blindsided last evening when word arrived that the much-antic ipated Faces reunion, confirmed as a "go" recently by guitarist Ron Wood, would also include Flea assuming the bass slot (founding member Ronnie Lane passed away in 1997, and latter-era bassist Tetsu Yamauchi apparently was never under considerat ion).

Tuesday night Wood disclosed the news while attending the South Bank Award sin London.

That howling sound? It's millions of Faces devotees expressing their anger and their anguish. Flea, of course, inexplicab ly remains a hugely respected musician among his peers, but the rest of us know this much: dude may bring the funk but he sure can't rock. He and his band the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the main reasons alternativ e music in the ‘90s blew chunks.

C'mon Rod, Ron - there are scores of subservien t session bassists that would be able to hold down your bottom end with grace and style. And the Faces name alone will sell tickets. You don't need a hopping, gurning showoff superstar like Flea to boost those sales.

Long overdue followup to 2005 album.

By Blurt Staff

Ursula 1000 (né e Alex Gimeno) releases his fourth studio album, "Mystics," on February 24, 2009 through Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL).  This is the follow up to "Here Comes Tomorrow" (2005). Exclusive to the "Mystics" packaging is a full color poster by acclaimed comic book creator and 2008 Eisner Award winner, Vasilis Lolos.  The first single from "Mystics" is "Zombies" featuring Kojak.

Listen to a DJ Ayres remix of the song:

http://www .urb.com/permal ink/4698/M P3:-Exclus ive-DJ-Ayr es-remix-o f-Ursula-1 000%27s-la test.html

Ursula 1000 returns from journeys into outer space with an epic collection of psychedeli c sonic sorcery.  Zig-Zaggin g further away from the cheeky vintage breakbeat- rhumba of previous albums, the Brooklyn beat-wizar d ventures into tougher and more angular territory:   beats banging harder and bass popping louder.  Drawing from a variety of new influences and collaborat ions, Ursula 1000 delivers lethal doses of dirty booty-brea ks with tracks like "Rump" featuring MC Tee Double, gothic sexcapades with "I.C.O.M.E." featuring sex-kitten vocalist Rochelle Vincente Von K, electro-da ncehall with "Step Back" featuring Jamaican toaster Sista Widey, and disco-funk filth with "Star Machine" featuring jazz-break s producer Mocean Worker.  At once playful and dangerous, "Mystics" is a cry to the stars!

Alex Gimeno explains, "The new album differs from the 50's and 60's retro leanings of the first two albums, "The Now Sound" and "Kinda' Kinky."  With "Here Comes Tomorrow," more elements of psychedeli c and glam rock were creeping in alongside more electro and post punk influences . "Mystics" continues with that approach but with beats that are lot heavier, definitely influenced by electro house and baile funk/balti more breaks/fid get house rhythms. Also, every track has a vocal on it, which is new for me. I think the songs are more fully realized."

Gimeno continues, "It's still fun and cheeky at some points like my previous work, but I think more of what I'm about is coming through. A lot of people probably still think of me sipping martinis at home and listening to Henry Mancini (which I sometimes do!), but I wanted to include other influences such as eastern psychedeli a, booty bass, slamming clubbier sounds, goth rock, mythology, New York city life, cosmic disco, classic horror and still a thread of electro go-go (which never goes away!)...."

Ursula 1000 has establishe d himself as one of the top internatio nal DJs.  After relocating to NYC from Miami in 1998, Gimeno has become synonymous with New York music and lifestyle culture.  He continues his A P T monthly residency (seven years strong) and tours all over the world. His remix skills are constantly in demand, reworking tracks from Quincy Jones to Felix da Housecat to The Faint, as well as being asked to remix the theme songs from The Incredible s, The Powerpuff Girls and Sesame Street. He has also supplied music to a number of hit shows from Sex and the City, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Yo Gabba Gabba, Tony Hawk's ESPN specials, among others and national commercial s for AT&T, Samsung, and Adidas.

Mystics Tracklisti ng

1.  Summoned from the Void

2.  The Wizard (featuring Kathleen Cholewka)

3.  Rocket

4.  Rump (featuring MC Tee Double)

5.  I.C.O.M.E. (featuring Rochelle Vincente Von K)

6.  Losin' It (featuring Anton Glamb)

7.  Zombies (featuring Kojak)

8.  Do It Right

9.  Star Machine (featuring Mocean Worker)

10.  Tension (featuring Paddy from Schwab)

11.  Step Back (featuring Sista Widey)

12.  This Magick

13.  Mystics (featuring Mike Geier)

Tour Dates:

Jan 23  APT/New York, NY w/ All Good Funk Alliance

Jan 24  The Lantern/Bl acksburg, Virginia

Jan 31  Trophy Bar/Brookl yn, NY

Feb 14  Rubulad/Br ooklyn, NY

Feb 27  APT/New York, NY-Record Release Party!

Mar 6 &nb sp;  Halo/Atlan ta, Georgia

Mar 13  Black Music Festival/G irona, Spain

Mar 14  Razzmatazz /Barcelona , Spain

Mar 20  Sala El Tren/Grana da, Spain

Mar 27  A38 Boat/Budap est, Hungary

Mar 28  tba/Vienna , Austria

Apr 2 &nb sp;  Art House/Thes saloniki, Greece

Apr 3 &nb sp;  Heaven/Kie v, Ukraine

Apr 4 &nb sp;  TapTab/Sch affhausen, Switzerlan d

Apr 10  Fabric/Lon don, UK

Apr 11 &n bsp; Lucca/Ista nbul, Turkey

Apr 12 &n bsp; tba/Istanb ul, Turkey

Apr 17 &n bsp; tba/Denver , Colorado

Apr 18 &n bsp; Maki CLub/Ingol stadt, Germany

New release collects key samples used by the Bristol legends.

By Blurt Staff

Protected: Massive Samples is the name, and revealing some of the secrets of the Massive Attack motherlode is the game. It's an album due Feb. 17 from Rapster Records, and it brings together for the first time many of the original samples and covers that have contribute d vital sonic juice to the band's sound.

Included are rare groove favorites like Lowrell's ‘Mel low Mellow', Reggae gems from John Holt and Lewin Bones Lock, familiar anthems that were given a whole new Bristol twist. We feature tracks that lent the band some spacey atmospheri cs with Wally Badarou's cavernous electro-du b ‘Mam bo' and Billy Cobham's majestic cosmic opus, ‘Str atus'. And we include some classic breaks (Isaac Hayes' ‘Ike 's Mood', The Blackbyrds ‘Roc k Creek Park') alongside the hit ‘Be Thankful' by William De Vaughn.

Protected is the second in a Rapster series of albums, following 2007's Discovered , which raided Daft Punk's sample cupboard. 

Go to www.massivesam ples.com to check out some, er, samples from the album.

Track Listing:

1. Wally Badarou - Mambo  ;

2. Lowrell - Mellow Mellow&nbs p;

3. William De Vaughn - Be Thankful For What You´ ve Got 

4. Al Green - I´m Glad You´ re Mine 

5. James Brown - Never Can Say Goodbye&nb sp;

6. Isaac Hayes - Ike´ s Mood 

7. Billy Cobham - Stratus&nb sp;

8. Lewin Bones Lock - Five Man Army Dub 

9. John Holt - Man Next Door 

10. The Blackbyrds - Rock Creek Park 

11. Pieces Of A Dream - It´s Time For Love 

12. Rufus & Chaka Khan - Any Love

In retrospect , we probably should have seen it coming...

By Fred Mills

A number of media outlets, including Australia' s LiveGuide.com and our own Pitchfork, are reporting on the breaking news surroundin g Mick Harvey's departure from Nick Cave's Bad Seeds. Harvey, of course, has been Cave's right-hand man since the Boys Next Door and Birthday Party days, so a lot of observers are reacting with shock.

Harvey's official statement:

For a variety of personal and profession al reasons I have chosen to discontinu e my ongoing involvemen t with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. After 25 years I feel I am leaving the band as it experience s one of its many peaks; in very healthy condition, and with fantastic prospects for the future. I'm confident Nick will continue to be a creative force and that this is the right time to pass on my artistic and managerial role to what has become a tremendous group of people who can support him in his endeavours both musically and organisati onally. It was a fantastic experience to finish my touring days in the band with the recent shows in Australia and the unique events that took place in conjunctio n with All Tomorrow's Parties, especially Mt. Buller, which was one of the many highlights of my involvemen t with the band throughout the years. I shall continue working on the Bad Seeds back catalogue re-issues project over the coming year and look forward to the new opportunit ies I shall be able to accommodat e as a result of my changed circumstan ces.

However, thinking about it now, there were early signs that all was not well between Cave and Harvey. Back in May of 2007, in an interview with BLURT precursor Harp magazine, Cave responded crypticall y to questions regarding Harvey, and while the general context was about his then-proje ct Grinderman , you can subtly see the writing on the wall in these excerpts from that interview, conducted by A.D. Amorosi:

JIM SCLAVUNOS: Where is Mick Harvey in this process? Not that I imagine that you leaned on him for everything .

NICK CAVE: I had at one point.

HARP: Was there anything odd about the process of recording without him? I mean, you've recorded everything you've ever done, since you were kids, with Mick Harvey.

N.C.: Look, Mick's role in the Bad Seeds has changed over the years. No More Shall We Part? Mick had a big part-strin g arrangemen ts and such. Some of the earlier records, I was writing stuff that I didn't have the capacity to play. I was playing rudimentar y piano so he'd show me anything else. I'd then work out from that amount of informatio n how to play the song in a more convincing way.

HARP: But things change.

N.C.: And over the years I've learned the instrument . And I don't need Nick, I mean Mick, I don't need Mick to translate the instrument anymore. Mick feels these days-and he's happier about this-that when he comes to a Bad Seeds record, he brings his guitar and plugs in. Because that's what he is: the guitarist. So to not have him there... I wasn't standing in the middle of the studio all trembling knees and limp with drool running down the side of my mouth.

Apparently at that point in time Cave no longer felt as reliant on Harvey, a gifted multiinstr umentalist and arranger as well as a solid guitarist. At any rate, we wish Mr. Harvey well, and we'll be looking forward to his next project.

Beloved North Carolina artist set to release new album Feb. 24.

By Blurt Staff

Asheville soul/funk/ jazz/pop multitaske r Jar-e is set to release 'Chicas Malas' (Exotic Recordings ) on Feb. 24. It's a 10-song collection of lush, genre-defy ing pop songs that seamlessly blend Latin beats and lyrics, jazz nuances, horn-fuele d soul, and are bound by the bewitching voice of the bilingual singer-son gwriter and multi-inst rumentalis t Jon Reid.

'Chicas Malas,' literally translated as "bad girls," was conceived in Mexico and inspired after a journey that took Jar-e through Greece, Cuba and Britain. "I start as an empty vessel," Jar-e says, "and absorb the sounds of my environmen t into the music." These world influences are loud and clear on tracks like Jar-e's first single, "Casa Believe,"; Jar-e plays with rhythm and tone, while singing a heartfelt and infectious ly catchy melody.

Check out the tune here:

http://www .shorefire.com/media/ Casa%20Bel ieve_20090 113_161511 .mp3

Producer Keith "Touch" Saunders (Saint Bernadette ) set up a state-of-t he-art studio in an Appalachia n mountain barn in Asheville to record 'Chicas Malas.' The result is an album that represents Jar-e more intimately than ever before, while emphasizin g the intensity of his live shows. "The thing that links all of his work is a soulfulnes s," says Saunders, "We definitely captured that."

Jar-e's sound leaves listeners dancing all night long, and his shows bridge soul, rock and funk and have gained him a reputation in the Southeast for always getting the crowd on its feet. He's currently on the road with fellow Ashevillea ns Toubab Krewe for a tour that brings together the sounds of two continents .

Jar-e 'Chicas Malas' Track listing

1). Fever Break
2). Heyday
3). 3 Leaf
4). Casa Believe
5). An Idea
6). Lorca
7). Safe To Say
8). The Pedestrian
9). Rosary
10). Ramparts

Tour dates (more to be added):

Jan 23 - Virginia Beach, VA - Jewish Mother w/ Toubab Krewe
Jan 24 - Richmond, VA - Capital Ale House Downtown Music Hall
Jan 31 - Asheville, NC - Angi West @ Grey Eagle
Feb 6 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle w/ Toubab Krewe
Feb 7 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborho od Theatre w/ Toubab Krewe

One of America's finest archival labels branches out even further.

By Blurt Staff

In addition to their critically acclaimed Eccentric Soul, Cult Cargo and Wayfaring Strangers series, the Numero Group is set to launch Local Customs - a series of releases highlighti ng the lost sounds of mid-Americ a from the ‘60s and ‘70s .  Under the Numero Group, the Numerophon vinyl-only imprint joins the family (in good company with sister imprint, Asterisk) with its debut release this spring.

LOCAL CUSTOMS SERIES:

If Harry Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music is the outcome of years spent sifting through 78s and acetates, Numero's new Local Customs series focuses on the woodsheds, basements, and living rooms where these records were made. Entreprene urs in nowhere towns like Ecorse, MI, Rockford, IL, and Beaumont, TX, documented the recordings of their fellow citizens, and issued their songs on tiny labels and in even tinier pressings; until now thanks to the people at Numero.

Local Customs' first release, Downriver Revival, chronicles the life of producer/m usic historian Felton Williams. Set up in an Ecorse, MI basement, between 1967 and 1981 Williams captured the musical output of Ecorse's citizens and issued them on the Solid Rock, Compose, and Revival labels.  Here are 24 of Williams' most fascinatin g recordings , covering gospel, group soul, garage-pun k, northern, jazz, and funk.  The package also includes a DVD of over 200 sound recordings from Williams' archives and a 30 minute featurette on the making of Downriver Revival.



NUMEROPHON VINYL ONLY IMPRINT:

And for Vinyl fiends, Numerophon is an LP-only imprint focused on the rediscover y of primitive American and ethnic recordings . Impeccably designed, housed in thick jackets, and pressed on durable 150 gram vinyl, you'll know a Numerophon album when you see it, the same way you knew Folkways after that first thrift store find.

Culled from a warped acetate cut at Variety Recording Service in 1962, Numerophon 's vinyl only, Songs Of Leaving is the complete songbook of New York folkie Niela Miller. A Bleecker & MacDougal scenester, Miller picked up the guitar after an encounter with Eric Weissberg, lent her Martin to Pete Seeger, and even had Dave Van Ronk cover "Mean World Blues." Her real claim to fame, however, is writing "Baby Don't Go To Town," a song that boyfriend Billy Roberts would steal and "rewrite" as "Hey Joe." You've heard Hendrix, Love, the Byrds, the Creation, Wilson Pickett and hundreds others do it, now hear the original for the first time.

Meanwhile, mark your calendars for April 4: that's when Numero Group hosts an amazing Eccentric Soul Revue. Held at Chicago's Park West Theater, it'll feature the legendary Syl Johnson plus Nate Evans, The Notations, The Final Solution, Renaldo Domino, and Kaldirons w/backing by The Uptown Sound.  Smok in! Tickets, a bargain at $22, are available through Ticketbast ard, natch...

Brought to you by your friendly neighborho od BLURT.

By Blurt Staff

Rigt about now, this band is getting to be our favorite on the whole damn planet... check out the exclusive BLURT premiere of Deerhoof's latest video for "Buck and Judy," directed by C. Spencer Yeh. Afterwards , lay your eyes on our live footage of the same song, filmed for BLURT by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green (aka TrixieDVD.com) at D.C.'s 9:30 Club last October. We've got more Deerhoof exclusives in our video kiosk as well.

About the video:

C. Spencer Yeh was born in Taipei, Taiwan, studied Radio/Tele vision/Fil m at Northweste rn University in Chicago IL, and is now based out of Cincinnati OH.  He is active in music with his primary project, Burning Star Core, and in his own name as a composer, improviser , and collaborat or.  In the video medium he has worked with artists such as G.X. Jupitter-L arsen, Hair Police, Wolf Eyes, and Lo-Vid, in creating videos and interactiv e DVDs, with some of these works presented internatio nally.  Being a fan and friend of Deerhoof, Yeh was not only excited to be able to work with the group, but to also exercise his video capabiliti es.  "Buck and Judy" addresses and explores music video and animation convention s, as well as stream-of- consciousn ess and narrative, in a hermetic and intimate "desktop/b edroom video" environmen t, being wholly scripted, storyboard ed, illustrate d, animated, and edited by Yeh.

Bad idea turns out to be just that, and Rod the Mod puts the kibosh on it.

By Fred Mills

While faces at Britain's Daily Mirror were crimson yesterday, elsewhere it was all smiles: that Faces reunion featuring Flea is apparently NOT happening, despite guitarist Ron Wood reportedly telling the U.K. publicatio n that he and vocalist Rod Stewart had not only written new material but that Flea would be taking the place of late bassist Ronnie Lane.

In a report posted yesterday by Billboard, spokespers ons for Stewart and Flea, respective ly, said that "there are no plans for a Faces reunion tour this year" and that the bassist "knows nothing" of a tour.

No speculatio n as of yet whether or not recovering alcoholic Wood was back on the sauce when he disclosed the "news" to the Daily Mirror...

Meanwhile, news was issued yesterday of a more confirmed nature: keyboardis t Ian McLagan will be touring in support of his new album Never Say Never, due March 3. It'll kick off Feb. 21 in Memphis and wrap at SXSW in March in Austin. Go HERE for details.

Okay, all together lads: let's think this thing through, but carefully. A lot of us would LOVE to see a Faces reunion. Just not one with Flea.

Despite, of course, indier-tha n-thou types intent on forging some bogus David-vers us-Goliath battle...

By Fred Mills

As we pointed out a couple of days ago, this so-called controvers y that has erupted over the similarity between the record sleeve of indie musicians Taylor Deupree & Richard Chartier's 2006 album Specificat ion. Fifteen and the forthcomin g U2 rec No Line On the Horizon is a total crock. The Japanese artist whose image adorns both sleeves, Hiroshi Sugimoto, has every right to sell or license his work (it's titled "Boden Sea, Uttwil"; see the original illustrati on, above) to whomever he pleases, just as Deupree and Chartier have every right to sell or license their music; if Apple came along waving a wad of cash to use a track from Specificat ion. Fifteen for an iPod commercial , you can bet your sweet Irish potatoes that the duo would leap at the chance.

Plus, as we also pointed out, they are getting a shitload of free publicity out of all this, probably more than they've ever had in their entire lives. We'd be interested to see what kind of sales spike the album has after a few weeks.

Meanwhile, over at U2.com, Shaughn McGrath of Four5One, the design team behind NLOTH, has sat for an interview about the U2 sleeve. Aside from pointing out the fact that the image clearly dovetails into the actual album title and describing how Bono came across the photograph er/artist in the first place (hint: it wasn't via seeing the Deupree/Ch artier work), McGrath responded, tangential ly, to the "controver sy."

Q: A few days after the album design was revealed, there were some stories online noting that the image had been previously used as an album cover ?

MCGRATH: I've just heard about that album and its cover. But I think we're doing something different with Sugimoto's image, something uniquely connected with this latest body of work from U2. And while I'm pleased we've been able to do something that has so few brushstrok es and yet says so much, the response to the design of an album is connected with how well people connect with the album. To give you an earlier example, the first album I worked on with U2 was Achtung Baby in 1991 - that sleeve is widely admired, but probably because the album is so great. People love that cover because they came to love the album. These things don't exist in isolation. It's all connected to the music.

We think this should probably be the final word. But of course it won't. Being part of the blogospher e means nobody ever tells you to shut up.

Touring that '09 sound, yo.

By Blurt Staff

BLURT faves the Gaslight Anthem has announced its first major North American headline tour, set to kick off in Montreal in mid-March and run through early May. Heartless Bastards (Fat Possum) are confirmed as direct support on most dates, with Saint Alvia, Good Old War, Pela and A Death In The Family joining the lineup on alternatin g legs. The band will also be performing on the Late Show with David Letterman on Friday January 30th, before embarking on a headline tour of the UK and Europe for the month of February. The band is confirmed for the Langerado Music Festival in Miami in early March as well.

The Gaslight Anthem's 2008 album The '59 Sound (SideOneDu mmy Records) landed on tons of year-end best-of lists - including BLURT's. To read our review of the album, go HERE.

Tour Dates:

 

Wednesday Mar 18 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe +
Friday Mar 20 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House +
Saturday Mar 21 London, Ontario - Call The Office +
Friday Mar 27 New York City - Webster Hall *
Saturday Mar 28 Philadelph ia - The Trocadero *
Sunday Mar 29 Pittsburgh - Mr. Small's *
Monday Mar 30 Columbus - Newport Music Hall *
Tuesday Mar 31 Cleveland - Agora Ballroom *
Wednesday Apr 1 Detroit - St. Andrew's Hall *
Thursday Apr 2 Milwaukee - Turner Hall *
Friday Apr 3 Chicago - The Bottom Lounge *
Saturday Apr 4 Minneapoli s - Varsity Theater *
Tuesday Apr 7 Calgary, Alberta - The Warehouse **
Wednesday Apr 8 Edmonton, Alberta - The Starlite Room **
Friday Apr 10 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Plaza Nightclub **
Monday Apr 13 Portland - Berbati's Pan #
Wednesday Apr 15 Sacramento - The Boardwalk #
Thursday Apr 16 San Francisco - Slim's #
Tuesday Apr 21 Phoenix - The Clubhouse #
Wednesday Apr 22 Albuquerqu e - Launchpad #
Thursday Apr 23 Colorado Springs - Black Sheep #
Friday Apr 24 Denver - Gothic Theatre #
Saturday Apr 25 Kansas City - Beaumont Club #
Tuesday Apr 28 Dallas - Granada Theatre #
Wednesday Apr 29 Austin - Antone's Nightclub #
Saturday May 2 Tampa - State Theatre #
Sunday May 3 Orlando - The Social #
Wednesday May 6 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle %
Thursday May 7 Baltimore - Recher Theatre %

+: w/Saint Alvia
*: w/Heartles s Bastards and Good Old War
**: w/Heartles s Bastards
#: w/Heartles s Bastards and A Death In The Family
%: w/Pela and Good Old War

Mainman David Berman posts news in online screed.

By Fred Mills

The rumors appear to be true: The Silver Jews' David Berman announced yesterday, via the Drag City website, that he would essentiall y be retiring from music after his band's show in McMinnvill e, Tenn., on January 31.

The post read thusly:

Silver Jews End-Lead Singer Bids his Well-Wishe rs Adieu

Hello, my friend.

Cassie and I went to the cave and it looks great. 58 degrees but the humidity makes it feel like 72.

I'm just going to play fifteen songs. My fifteen favorite ones. A dollar per song. Plus Arnett Hollow. I don't want to keep you undergroun d for too long. Fall Creek Falls State Park State Lodge is great by the way.

Yes I cancelled the South American shows. I'll have to see the ABC Countries another way. I guess I am moving over to another category. Screenwrit ing or Muckraking . I've got to move on. Can't be like all the careerists doncha know. I'm forty two and I know what to do. I'm a writer, see?

Cassie is taking it the hardest. She's a fan and a player but she sees how happy i am with the decision. I always said we would stop before we got bad. If I continue to record I might accidental ly write the answer song to Shiny Happy People. What, you thought I was going to hang on to the bitter end like Marybeth Hamilton?

love david

Berman, of course, has always demonstrat ed ambivalenc e towards his musical career. His bouts with depression and addiction probably didn't shore up his confidence as a public performer, either. Plus, he's a published author/poe t, so he's always had that other creative outlet looming in the wings. Regardless , we wish him well in his future endeavors, and we hope to be able to one day announce "the Silver Jews reunions." These days, with so many reunions seeming so random and pointless, we sure could use a few good ‘uns .

Silver Jews Lookout Mountain CD review: www.blurt-onli ne.com/review s/view/164 /

Silver Jews Silver Jew DVD review: www.blurt-onli ne.com/dvd_re views/view /21/

By Ed Hamell, a/k/a Hamell on Trial

When I'm on the road I like to nap in my car. People think it's weird. (At least G-Love did, but...um...who cares?) But it's nice in there. You're getting rested up for the gig. You turn off the cell phone, nobody bothers you, out like a light.

Occasional ly somebody will rap on the window. “Are you okay?&rdqu o; I like to scream back at them, “I'm trying to kill myself! Could you leave me alone?!&rd quo;

I'm good at scouting a place off the beaten track that is inconspicu ous. I'll even pay to park in a parking garage, (well, not in Manhattan, Jesus, you might as well get a hotel room at those prices), but I learned the hard way that are some parking lot security guys that take their job very, very seriously. At least in Toronto.

I was napping, out like a light, and it was hot so I had the air conditione r running and sure enough, three, you saw it right, three cop cars came with their lights on wanting to know just what the hell I was doing.

I don't know how many of my readership has been on the show Cops, but I suspect a large percentage and you know how when you just wake up and there's a cop in your trailer and you don't remember what you did to get him (or her, as in my case there were two male cops and a female) there, and you're kinda mumbling sleepy-eye d, reaching for your gun?

Well, one cop was pissed! So I got pissed back. Bad move.

We worked it out. I promised never to do it again. Of course when they left I fell back to sleep.

Overzealou s employees always get my goat. It's just a job, for chrissake. And in light of the current economy, you're probably not gonna have it for very much longer anyway, so relax wouldja?

There's only two states that you can't pump your own gas. Jersey and Oregon. I didn't know about Oregon. So I got out of the car and started pumping my gas and the attendant charged out of his little room and yanked the hose out of my hand.

I don't like people yanking shit from me.

Ask politely. I would.

So I had to ask him, “Why can't you pump your own gas? Why is there a law?!&rdqu o; And he told me straight-f aced, “Peo ple blow up.”

Now, I travel a great deal people. All over the world. And I'm usually driving. I've been to a lot of gas stations. I've slept in a lot of gas stations. Rarely, like so rarely, never, have I seen anybody blow up. Never ever. Never even on the horizon do I see a torch-like glow and think, “Yep , there goes another pumper. Bet his fried ass wishes he had been in Oregon or Jersey.”

Now I know many are thinking, “Ham ell sure is confrontat ional, he's got no one to blame if people are afraid to come to his show.” Well, let me tell you about a positive run-in I had.

It was an Arab taxi driver taking me from my hotel in London to Heathrow airport. True story. I really, really like taxi drivers. 99% of the time they're amazingly cool. I've had some of my best conversati ons with taxi drivers.

It's a cinch. Wanna try it?

Just go like this, “How long you been driving today?&rdq uo; Typically they'll say, “Sin ce 4 a.m.” And it's like noon, then. So you ask, “How much longer you gonna drive today?&rdq uo; And they'll say, “Unt il midnight.”

That's 20 hours, people. Then you ask, “How many days a week do you do that?&rdqu o; And they'll say, “Sev en.”

And you ask if they have a family, and they invariably do, and then you ask, “Doe sn't your wife mind?&rdqu o; And they'll respond, “She drives a cab, too!&rdquo ;

That's a tough gig, I think. More often than not they're working their butts off, when they used to work as a doctor in Africa, or India, or Saudi Arabia.

You get the idea.

Anyway, I can't remember what we talked about, this Arab cab driver and me. I mean, I'm sure it was world politics, but I really don't remember specifical ly what was said.

I was riding in the front. I do remember that.

When I got out, not only did he hug me but he gave me the ride for free. C'mon, cool or what?

So you see, I'm not such a bad guy. Remember, an indictment is not a conviction .

Ed Hamell picked up the guitar at age 7 and started writing songs not long after. In his early 20s, Mr. Hamell was the front man and writer for an original band, but local bands were a dime a dozen in the tough, working class neighborho ods in Syracuse, NY. So he launched a one-man act called Hamell on Trial. Six albums (plus a live one) and countless shows later, Hamell himself is one of a kind. Catch him on tour this summer in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Also No Age, Mudhoney, Walkmen, Jamie Lidell, Tokyo Police Club, !!!, White Williams, King Khan

By Blurt Staff

The Free Yr Radio (www.FreeYrRadi o.com) campaign, created by Toyota Yaris and Urban Outfitters to generate awareness and support for partner independen t radio stations, today announced the release date of the campaign's benefit compilatio n album for January 27, 2009. 

The Free Yr Radio 2008 Benefit Compilatio n features tracks from bands that participat ed in this past year's Free Yr Radio tour. All profits from sales of the compilatio n will be donated to the Free Yr Radio partner radio stations.  The compilatio n will be available exclusivel y at Insound.com for 99 cents, and buyers of the album will be encouraged to add a "tip" on top of the 99 cents as a way to donate more funds and show their support of independen t radio.

Album benefit compilatio n available at: www.Insound.com/FYR

Here's the tracklist:

01.  01.  !!! - Must Be The Moon (Live at KEXP)

02.  02.  Chairlift - At My Side

03.  03.  Yeasayer - Final Path (Daytrotte r Sessions)

04.  04.  White Williams - Blue Steel

05.  05.  Dan Deacon - Cave Birth

06.  06.  No Age - Padded Chair

07.  07.  Mudhoney - The Lucky Ones (Live)

08.  08.  King Khan & Saba Lou - Past and Gone

09.  09.  The Secret Machines - The Walls Are Starting To Crack (Live at KEXP)

10.  10.  The Walkmen - In The New Year (Live)

11.  11.  Tokyo Police Club - Your English Is Good (K-Os Remix)

12.  12.  Jamie Lidell - Rope of Sand (Live at Austin City Limits)

13.   

The participat ing Free Yr Radio stations from the 2008 campaign include Ohio.FM in Columbus, KVRX in Austin, KRCL in Salt Lake City, WPRB in Philadelph ia, KIWR in Omaha, WERS in Cambridge, KEXP in Seattle, The Current in Minneapoli s, KUSF in San Francisco, KUCI in Irvine, WVUM in Miami, and WVKR in New York.  These stations will split 95% of the profits, with the other 5% being divided among the Free Yr Radio alumni stations from the 2007 campaign.

Each aspect of the Free Yr Radio campaign is designed to give partner independen t stations tools to build awareness and help raise additional funds from their listener communitie s.  Partner stations co-host free concerts as a means to increase exposure, gain new listeners, and generate support. The campaign also enables each participat ing station to award a brand new Toyota Yaris to one listener during their fundraisin g or awareness- boosting activities .  The final component of the Free Yr Radio campaign is the benefit compilatio n album.

"We're excited to wrap up another successful year of the Free Yr Radio campaign with such a unique collection of music from the bands that joined in the mission to support non-commer cial radio," said Keith Dahl, National Marketing Manager for Toyota.  "By purchasing this compilatio n consumers will not only get exclusive new music, but will directly benefit the partner independen t radio stations that are such a vital part of the music community."

For more informatio n on the Free Yr Radio campaign, please visit  ;www.FreeYrRadi o.com or contact Gregg Flotlin at (206) 388-1455 or gregg@206i nc.com.

ABOUT FREE YR RADIO:

Now in its second year, the Free Yr Radio campaign helps generate awareness and funds for independen t radio through a series of promotiona l activities including free station-sp onsored in-store concerts by top indie artists, vehicle sweepstake s to augment station fund-raisi ng drives and a benefit compilatio n.  Yaris and Urban Outfitters joined forces to create Free Yr Radio in 2007 to start a conversati on with their customers about the importance of independen t radio and to encourage people to talk about, listen to and support their favorite stations. To learn more about the program, you can visit  ;www.FreeYrRadi o.com.

Okay, slightly misleading headline... hey, it could happen!

By Blurt Staff

While the following technicall y falls under the heading of "industry meh", we actually think it's kinda interestin g. The fact that Morrissey has a massive following in Mexico and the Latin community, for one thing, and also the fact that any excuse to put Mano Chao in a news item is a good excuse. Read press release, below...

***

Lost Highway Records (home to such leading artists as Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams, Morrissey, Lyle Lovett and Shelby Lynne) and Nacional Records (home to leading Latin alternativ e artists such as Manu Chao, Nortec Collective , Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Aterciopel ados) have forged a collaborat ion by offering each other's expertise in their efforts on two of their biggest artists, Morrissey and Manu Chao.

 &nbs p;
As a result, Nacional will assist Lost Highway with their upcoming Morrissey release "Years of Refusal" (out February 17th) by targeting their marketing expertise toward the Latino community, of which the legendary British artist has a massive following. In return, Lost Highway will help Nacional continue the success of the critically acclaimed "La Radiolina" , the latest Latin Grammy-win ning release from global star Manu Chao. Lost Highway will focus their marketing efforts to the community of loyal music fans (with their broad musical tastes) who continue to support their acclaimed roster.

 &nbs p;
Kim Buie, VP A&R at Lost Highway, believes strongly in this unique collaborat ion. "We are very excited to be working with Tomas Cookman and the team at Nacional", says Ms. Buie. "Morrissey has an enormous following in the Latin community, so the opportunit ies that Nacional brings has great value. I've known Tomas for many years and his expertise is unparallel ed." &nb sp;
 

Tomas Cookman, president and owner of Nacional Records, adds, "I am a long time fan of Lost Highway and feel that they have a unique way of speaking to and interactin g with fans, through quality music. We are honored to be working with such a cool artist in Morrissey - his new album is absolutely fantastic. In addition, I have always believed that Manu Chao is the type of artist whose albums have long legs and continue developing over time - whether it's months or even years. We are truly excited about the opportunit y to expose his music to a new and open-minde d audience."

 
Ms. Buie goes further to say, "With the declining economy that we are all facing, it makes sense to seek new ways, and specific to our efforts here, new markets - to promote our respective projects. Perhaps, they can lead to other opportunit ies and audiences down the road for both of us and our artists."