Slow news day is our best guess!

By Blurt Staff

Some days we write the news... other days, the news writes itself! To wit:

Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20, Santana conspirato r, profession al mook, etc.) teamed up with Bloomingda le's and rock n roll [sic] lifestyle brand Lyric Culture on a limited edition apparel collection that debuted June 30^th in New York.  The line launched at Bloomingda le's in conjunctio n with Thomas's second solo album titled "cradleson g" and features designs inspired by previous Thomas smash hits including "Streetcor ner Symphony" and "Smooth". Thomas autographe d the apparel with a portion of the proceeds benefiting his and wife Marisol's Sidewalk Angels Foundation . Bloomingda le's offered a special gift with purchase tank top inspired by the single "Her Diamonds" off Thomas' album.

(Thomas w/wife Marisol)

This collaborat ion featuring fashion tees, tops and scarves for both men and women, marks the first time that Lyric Culture is partnering with a contempora ry artist on a collection .  Previous designs have featured apparel inspired by the song lyrics of legendary artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and countless others.

(Thomas w/Blooming dales dude, classy chick)

Awesome. We are all about lifestyle brands. Buy a BLURT shurt from us, wontcha?

Almost as cool at that freaky Lemonheads sleeve...

By Blurt Staff

BLURT faves Dappled Cities have their latest album Zounds set to drop on Sept. 15 courtesy Dangerbird . We've heard it - that shit rocks our world. And glom onto the album cover art, above - no doubt it'll be in the running for fave sleeves of the year when year-end lists start hitting.

The band's been touring steadily over the past couple of years, promoting their second album Granddance , issued by Dangerbird in 2006. And the band nicely dodged "the Australian curse," i.e., Aussie bands that do great in their homeland but don't do squat over here, notching critical acclaim and playing to generally receptive crowds while sharing bills with the likes of the Fratellis and Tokyo Police Club.

During this time, founding member Hugh Boyce retired and was replaced by Allan Kumpulaine n on drums, while touring keyboardis t Ned Cooke was instated as a full-time member. The rest of the band: David Rennick, Alex Moore, Tim Derricourt .

According to the band, "After Granddance , there were great expectatio ns for Zounds - from us and also from the US label. That pressure turned this into the longest and most intense episode of our life. We didn't cut corners and we went to great lengths to keep chaos developing ."

Hooking up with producer Chris Coady (TV On The Radio) the group settled into a New York studio in an attempt to capture their ferocious live show in the studio. The band also didn't always see eye-to-hi fi with Coady. Rennick explains, "He's the biggest name we've worked with and he knew it, so a lot of the recording process was injected with clashes. Artistic difference s? Perhaps. But maybe we just knew, and expressed, what we wanted so strongly that it may have been tough for others around us to take at the time. Who knows?"

Regardless , the resulting disc is a dynamic, artful, multi-hued gem. Watch BLURT for a full review right around release date. Enjoy that record sleeve!

Tracklisti ng

Hold Your Back

Answer Is Zero

The Price

Wooden Ships

Slow For Me, My Island

The Night Is Young At Heart

Miniature Alas

Don't Stop There

Kid

Middle People

Apart

Stepshadow s

Not to mention Jesus and Mary Chain too.

By Blurt Staff

Domino and Geographic will be releasing an unusual Pastels and Tenniscoat s collaborat ion, Two Sunsets, on September 22. Recorded in Glasgow over a two or three year period usually around Tenniscoat s' UK touring, the album started out casually from a simple idea of booking some studio time to see what happens.  Songs seemed to arrive as needed and a group mode was establishe d, usually Saya and Ueno from Tenniscoat s with Stephen, Katrina and Gerard Love from The Pastels with Tom Crossley, Alison Mitchell, and sometimes Norman Blake and Bill Wells dropping by.

The Pastels are from Glasgow and Tenniscoat s from Tokyo. They have different sounds but something in common too. This collaborat ion which eventually became the Two Sunsets album arose from a suggestion by Tenniscoat s that some studio time be booked while they were in Glasgow, just to see what happens, and maybe to try to find out what it is that they have in common. The first recording was promising and slightly rushed, but suggested enough to carry on. Tenniscoat s had often been playing shows in Scotland, over a two or three year period at various recording sessions, it suddenly seemed like they'd accumulate d about an album of songs which originated from members of both groups.

The album will be preceded by a single for "Vivid Youth" with the b-sides "About You" (a JAMC cover) and "About You (Instrumen tal)"

"Vivid Youth" looks like this summer but makes you think of last summer too; hopeful and kind of strident sounding, the spectacula r moment when a bonfire really catches fire. And in the shadow there's something else too, something secretive, beautiful and exciting. This Pastels / Tenniscoat s sound is very summer-ish , everyone's playing feels very of the moment; maybe it's the evening to Billy Stewart's "Sitting In The Park" or Hugh Masekela's "Grazing In The Grass." Night time is inevitably Question Mark & The Mysterians .

"About You" feels like another type of summer feeling. It's raining heavily outside and maybe for a moment you feel a bit stuck. You feel a weight, a certain melancholy , but only for a moment because actually the summer rain's great to walk around in and you feel alive and warm. It's finding the good in everything , and summer rain is the best kind and that's what this feels like. The sound is like this... it's sort of organic but not right on, it's running loops too, soft, almost mechanical rain. It's a song from The Jesus And Mary Chain's Darklands album which The Pastels recorded with Tenniscoat s as part of a commission for a theatre production but which felt like it belonged in the album session. Initial recordings were with Norman Blake in Queens Park, Glasgow.

Track Listing:

1. So Many Stars
2. Two Sunsets
3. Song For A Friend
4. Vivid Youth
5. Yomigaeru
6. Modesty Piece
7. About You
8. Boats
9. Hikoki
10. From On A Mountain_S odane
11. Mou Mou Rainbow
12. Start Slowly

Musical travels across the globe for peace and good will to men.

By Blurt Staff

In the new issue of BLURT, just hitting newsstands , we've got a feature on Playing For Change project which has been turned into a CD/DVD set. Playing For Change - Songs Around the World, was released on April 28^th by Hear Music.

The backstory: Grammy winning producer/e ngineer Mark Johnson and his team traveled the globe with a single-min ded passion to connect the world though music. Their ambitious journey took them from post-apart heid South Africa, through the ancient sites of the Middle East, to the remote beauty of the Himalayas and beyond.  Using innovative mobile technology , they filmed and recorded more than 100 musicians, largely outdoors, in parks, plazas and promenades , in doorways, on cobbleston e streets and amid hilly pueblos.  Each captured performanc e created a new mix in which essentiall y the artists are all performing together, albeit hundreds or thousands of miles apart. The resulting documentar y is part of a global effort to inspire peace through music and to connect diverse musicians worldwide, especially those in regions of conflict.

Now, the Playing For Change: Peace Through Music film is set to air nationally as part of special programmin g airing on PBS Stations in August 2009 (check local listings). 

Some of the magical moments include Ireland's Omagh Community Youth Choir, comprised of a mixture of Catholic and Protestant teens, singing "Love Rescue Me," written by U2 and Bob Dylan.  The film begins with American street musicians Roger Ridley and Grandpa Elliott harmonizin g with Clarence Bekker from the Netherland s amid an assembly of artists from Russia, Spain, Venezuela, France and Brazil on the Ben E. King/Leibe r & Stoller classic "Stand By Me," the video of which has already become an internet sensation.
 

Also included is an exhilarati ng version of the Bob Marley classic "War/No More Trouble." This segment includes musicians from The Congo, Israel, India, Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Zimbabwe and Ghana, along with Bono and Bob Marley. Marley's "One Love" proved to be an irresistib le choice for the producers as well, who enlisted Keb' Mo' to sing with performers from India, Israel, Nepal, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

 
Playing for Change began a decade ago, the brainchild of Grammy-win ning music producer and engineer Mark Johnson.  In 1998 Mark teamed with producer Whitney Kronke Burditt to create the award-winn ing Playing for Change: A Cinematic Discovery of Street Music (2004). The relationsh ip between Playing for Change and Hear Music (the joint venture between Concord and Starbucks) was facilitate d by legendary television producer Norman Lear, owner of Concord Music Group.

 
Seeing great need in many of the locations where the crew filmed and recorded inspired PFC to establish the Playing for Change Foundation , a distinct non-profit entity which provides resources - including facilities , technology , musical instrument s and education - to musicians and their communitie s.  The Foundation 's first project, the Ntonga Music School in South Africa, was completed in January 2009.  Its second, the Mehlo Arts Center in Johannesbu rg, will open later in 2009.

 
Playing for Change is headquarte red in Los Angeles.  For more informatio n, please visit the website: www.PlayingFor Change.com.

San Diego experiment alists sign with Temporary Residence.

By Fred Mills

Back in March, San Diego's ever-myste rious Black Heart Procession posted the following message on their MySpace blog:

"hey this is pall--- anyone want or know anyone who wants to release the new black heart record --- just lets us know --- we need a good company&nb sp; --- touch and go is no longer releasing new records --- so all the bands have to find new homes -- sad times."

Sad times no more, fans; looks like the band found a label.

The Black Heart Procession 's new album, Six, will be released October 6. Described by the label as "an album full of hauntingly bitterswee t chamber pop," it will be preceded by the "perfectly eerie" single "Rats" (sounds eerie but pretty rockin' in an almost Bad Seeds way to us! - which you can preview here:

"Rats" MP3

Tracklisti ng:

01. When You Finish Me

02. Wasteland

03. Witching Stone

04. Rats

05. Heaven and Hell

06. Drugs

07. All My Steps

08. Forget My Heart

09. Liars Ink

10. Suicide

11. Back To The Undergroun d

12. Last Chance

13. Iri Sulu

And don't overlook that "Sun Will Shine" video either.

By Blurt Staff

Akron/Fami ly - profiled by BLURT back in May - are gearing up for a North American tour that features a handful of summer festivals plus headlining club and theater dates. Just back from Japan  Akro n/Family will be joined by Wand (a/k/a Wooden Wand) for an east coast run and in September by guests Jeffery Lewis & The Junkyard and Slaraffenl and. The Slaraffenl and horns will join the band on stage each night (a la The Dodos or Megafaun before them) to form the Akron/Fami ly big band.

Simultaneo usly, Akron/Fami ly's US label, Dead Oceans, will be releasing a series of Akron/Fami ly 7"s.  Side A will feature a track off the recent Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free full-lengt h, and the flipside will boast an exclusive, 7"-only track.  These releases can be purchased at the band's shows first before they will be made available to traditiona l retail outlets. The first in this series, "Everyone is Guilty," is all but sold out - there are a few copies left at the band's web store at www.akronfamil y.com. The second 7" in the series, "River," can be purchased during the September run and from traditiona l outlets in October. Details from the "Many Ghosts" single will be announced soon.

Akron/Fami ly 7 Inchers:

7" #1 - Everyone is Guilty/Tot al Destructio n
7" #2 - River/Morn ing on Michigan Ave
7" #3 - Many Ghosts/??!

Meanwhile, check out the awesome "Sun Will Shine" by Vincent Moon. The video clip showcases the band at their finest. Interactin g with the crowd, joined by guest musicians, and letting the music lead them off the stage and into Union Pool's courtyard, this performanc e is the way to close an Akron/Fami ly show. This video was shot during Akron/Fami ly's New York residency in March 2009, as part of multi-nigh t stands the band did in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal and New York, leading up to the release of Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free.

Tour Dates:

Wed. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Jul. 22 &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Cleveland, OH @ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Thu. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Jul. 23 &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Detroit Lakes, MN @ 10,000 Lakes Festival
Fri. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Jul. 24 &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge w/ Icy Demons
Sat. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Jul. 25 &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Festival
Sun. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Jul. 26 &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Festival
Wed. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Jul. 29 &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Steamboat Springs, CO @ Ghostranch Saloon
Thu. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Jul. 30 &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Vail, CO @ The Sandbar
Fri. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Jul. 31 &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Sun. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Aug. 2 &nb sp;   &nbs p;  Liberty Park, NJ @ All Points West Festival
Tue. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Aug. 11 &n bsp;   &nbs p; Washington , DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel w/ Wooden Wand
Wed. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Aug. 12 &n bsp;    Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle w/ Wooden Wand
Thu. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Aug. 13 &n bsp;    Atlanta, GA @ E.A.R.L. w/ Wooden Wand
Fri. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Aug. 14 &n bsp;    Birmingham , AL @  BottleTree w/ Wooden Wand
Sat. &nbs p;   &nbs p;   Aug. 15 &n bsp;    Asheville, NC @ Harvest Festival at Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
Fri. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Aug. 28 &n bsp;    San Francisco @ Outside Lands Festival
Sat.  &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Aug. 29 &n bsp;    Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater w/ Howlin' Rain, Lucky Dragons
Mon. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Sep. 7 &nb sp;   &nbs p;  Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoo t Festival
Tue. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Sep. 8 &nb sp;   &nbs p;  Portland, OR @ Baghdad Theatre
Thu. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Sep. 10 &n bsp;    Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head Club w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
Fri. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Sep. 11 &n bsp;    Philadelph ia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
Sat. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Sep. 12 &n bsp;    Monticello , NY @ ATP NY Festival
Mon. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Sep. 14 &n bsp;    Hudson, NY @ Jason's Upstairs w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenl and
Tue. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Sep. 15 &n bsp;    Williamspo rt, PA @ Site B w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenl and
Wed. &nbs p; &n bsp;    Sep. 16 &n bsp;    Ithaca, NY @ Castaways w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenl and
Thu. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Sep. 17 &n bsp;    Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenl and
Fri. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Sep. 18 &n bsp;    London, ON @ LOLA Fest
Sat. &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Sep. 19 &n bsp;    Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenl and
Sun. &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Sep. 20 &n bsp;    Louisville , KY @ 21C Museum Atrium Gallery w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenl and

Uuuuuuuh....Aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaahh hhhhhhhhhh !

Sorry 'bout that, but BLURT HQ collective ly creamed its pants with the confirmati on that Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, Foo Fighter Dave Grohl and THE John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame are currently at work in a unidentifi ed Los Angeles recording studio working on an album together.

The clock on this collaborat ion began ticking back in 2005 when Grohl told Mojo magazine that,  ; "The next project that I'm trying to initiate involves me on drums, Josh Homme on guitar, and John Paul Jones playing bass. That's the next album. That wouldn't suck."

A few months back, in April 2009, Cyril Deluermoz of French magazine Rock'n Folk reported that Homme and Grohl were recording together. JPJ followed in a subsequent interview to say, "I'm working on some other music, which is more rock based, with a couple of other people. We hope to be everywhere this summer."

Indeed.

It's been a long time since Michael Jackson penned a hit song, but he did write one last nationwide sensation: the script the mainstream media has followed since his death. Jackson, we're told, was the "king of pop," who had "the biggest selling album of all time," and "broke MTV's color line." Every one of these dubious factoids was devised by Jackson or his agents.

In 1979 Jackson commenced a great solo run, starting with Off the Wall and on through 1991's&nbs p;Dangerous. The latter was knocked off by Nirvana's Nevermind, and h enceforth Jacko was a "legacy" act, working his back catalogue- when he wa s working at all. (Speaking of that back catalogue, the singer's Motown-era solo albums - 1972's Got to Be There, 1972's Ben, 1973's Music & Me and 1975's Forever, Michael - yielded a sprinkling of hits, including a #1 in '72, "Ben," although all four records were wildly inconsiste nt. Hip-O Select has just reissued them, along with bonus and unreleased tracks, as a deluxe, limited-to -7000 copies three-CD set titled Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection .)

The first pedophilia charge came in 1993, and for the next 16 years Jackson was an object of scorn, horror, and ridicule: His music was upstaged by financial reversals, phony marriages, children by surrogates , and skin whitening and plastic surgery. So it's no small triumph that obituary and appreciati on writers now hail Jackson as a culture-sh aping luminary rather than a nose-mutil ating freak.

I yield to no one in my admiration of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', " and I don't doubt Jackson's talent. Lots of people want to remember the guy as the King of Pop, or whatever, which is their right. But then many other people love the Jonas Brothers, Phish, or Slipknot. In their time, Pat Boone and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass enjoyed chart-domi nating epochs. None of them changed society, and neither did Jacko.

MJ did take credit for the three best numbers on Thriller, including "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', " a song that's heavily indebted to Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa." (According to the New Yorker's Kelefa Sanneh, the two musicians eventually reached a "financial agreement.") But the most of the album is unlistenab le, and today would be extremely vulnerable to single-tra ck downloads.

Jackson was primarily an impresario , not a musician, and his instincts soon failed him. Even with only one act in his stable - himself - he couldn't keep on track. By 1995's HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I, Jackson the image-buil der was portraying Michael the music-make r as both an abused child and a totalitari an dictator. He sent a 60-foot plaster statue of his Michaelnes s to tour major European cities.

 
Such weirdness continued for many years, yet has been largely excluded from the career recaps. This is partly because the non-trash media-from op-ed pages to Sunday morning talk shows-have to justify the amount of coverage their newspapers or networks have given Jacko. If he's just dance-pop' s equivalent of a brain-dama ged profession al wrestler, the attention is unjustifie d. So MJ must have been significan t.

This yields such straw-gras ping punditry as the claim that "we" all i dentified with Jackson because he blurred racial and gender identity. But h e did so in a way that was creepy, not inspiring, and revealed&n bsp;self-l oathing, not self- acceptance . Anyone who seriously identified with  the latter-day Jackson should seek profession al help.

To some mainstream eulogists, Jackson's momentousn ess is all in a large and charmingly tidy number: 100 million. That's the supposed worldwide sales  ;figure for Thriller, which very well could be the best-selli ng album of all t ime. But the internatio nal numbers are speculatio n, and in the U.S. Thriller was overcome by The Eagles' Greatest Hits almost 20 years ago.

In his essential blog, Hitsville, Bil l Wyman questions the 100 million total. He thinks it likely that "this  ;bogus figure comes from Jackson, who learned early at Motown that it was OK to out-and-ou t lie to the press about anything and everything . (If it came  from Sony it would raise immediate questions from the Jackson camp about  ;royalties , right?)"

But music sales are a matter of longstandi ng mystery to the establishm ent press, which equates big numbers with widespread cultural influence, and seldom checks to see if either truly exists. (Thus newspaper hacks regularly proclaim hip-hop the country's top-sellin g musical genre, which it never has been.) "Best-sell ing album of all time" authentica tes Jackson's place in the universe-a nd therefore on the front page - so best not to check its accuracy.

Repeating the "king of pop" tag is even lazier. It makes for a succinct headline, but its source is Jackson himself, who adopted it in 1991, just before it became undeniably false. If Jacko had named himself "Lord Protector of Jupiter," would that also feature in the obits? Probably not, because Jupiter belongs to the "Science" section, which insists on facts. But pop music is the province of "Life" or "Arts," whose truths are squishier.

On the charts, "Billie Jean" was arguably Jackson's biggest success. In death, it becomes something greater: his racial-pio neer badge. For, as every TV or a newspaper commentato r now knows, with that song Jacko "broke MTV's color barrier" and became "the first black musician to appear on MTV." So beat it, Rosa Parks, beat it.

Actually, before "Billie Jean," MTV programmed videos by Eddie Grant, Tina Turner, and Donna Summer, as well as a whole lot of Musical Youth's "Pass the Dutchie." MTV skipped Thriller's first single, "The Girl Is Mine," not because Jackson was black-the tune also featured the quite famous and rather white Paul McCartney - but because it was doggone treacle.

Then a relatively small operation with a largely suburban teenage audience, MTV programmed uptempo, moderately noisy music by performers who made videos, which at that time meant mostly Britons. (Music promo vids developed earlier over there, because BBC radio played so little rock.) "The Girl Is Mine" was unsuitable , but "Billie Jean," with its driving beat and high-gloss video, was ideal.

According to the myth, executives at Epic, Jackson's label, gave MTV an ultimatum: Play "Billie Jean" or else. But that was a publicity stunt. In Hit Men, his 1990 history of the music biz, Fredric Dannen recounts: Around this time Jacko added a new lawyer, John Branca, to his all-white management team. Not long after, Branca was also representi ng MTV. As racial showdowns go, this one sounds a lot like a boardroom shuffle.

Whatever Jackson's gifts, he was above all a guy in the right place at the right time. Thriller arri ved as MTV was booming, and the era of made-in-th e-U.S.A. videos dawning. Also, it was released just as labels decided to milk albums as long as possible, rather than scuttling off to the next prospect for a hit or two. So seven of the disc's nine songs became singles, and Thriller lingered over the charts like a stationary front, eventually selling 28 million copies in the U.S. (and another 40 trillion intergalac tically, I'm pretty sure).

Great timing. Garth Brooks had it, too, but don't expect his obits someday to assert that he transforme d society.

Selling lots of albums is consequent ial, but not in the way Jackson's analysts earnestly wish. So maybe it's time for the legit media to let Jacko go. He belongs not to
history, but to TMZ.

Preemptive strike for forthcomin g album release.

By Nancy Dunham

Get ready for an Aussie invasion this summer when The Grates release the band's sophomore album Teeth Lost, Hearts Won on September 15.

The band generated some great buzz at SXSW and has relocated to Brooklyn and in July will be in residency at Piano's on the Lower East Side.

If you're not in New York, check the group out July 24-26 at the Hillside Festival in Guelph, ON (with Tokyo Police Club, Xavier Rudd and many more) and Sept. 13 at the 2009 Monolith Music Festival, held at Red Rocks (with the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Phoenix, Girl Talk, M Ward, Of Montreal and many more), and at dates listed below:

The Grates Live (More Dates TBA):

July 12^th - Ottawa, ON Live 88 Lounge

July 15^th - New York, NY - Piano's

July 22^nd - New York, NY - Piano's

July 24^th - 26^th - Guelph, ON - The Hillside Festival

July 28^th -  Toronto, ON - The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern

July 29^th - New York, NY - Piano's

September 13^th - Morrison, CO - The Monolith Music Festival

Want to know more? Go to Grates or Grates on MySpace

Ain't nothing gonna slow her down...

By Blurt Staff

Despite being diagnosed recently with MS, X frontwoman Exene Cervenka doesn't have any plans to slow down - she's got a new solo album due October 6 from Bloodshot. Titled Somewhere Gone it's described by the label as "all the passion of X without all the loud - a great combinatio n, even for people who embrace the loud." See the artwork, above.

Exene, of course, has been multitaski ng for years - in addition to her work with X, she's performed with the Knitters, fronted her own band the Original Sinners, done spoken word (her appearance s with Lydia Lunch back in the ‘80s remain the stuff of legend), penned several volumes of poetry and even had her drawings, paintings and collages exhibited a few years ago at the Santa Monica Museum of Art.

And she's announced her intentions to work with the Sweet Relief foundation to help raise money and awareness for MS - all we can say is, keep it coming, Exene, and we're looking forward to the new rec.

Some folks want something for nothing... others don't realize they can even GET something for nothing!

By Blurt Staff

Moby is a funny guy sometimes - and we mean that in the best, funny-ha-h a, way. To wit (pardon the pun): this letter he recently posted to industry observer Bob Lefsetz (of The Lefsetz Letter). In it, he refers to his new album Wait For Me and the best selling tune from it... somehow, a variation on that old PT Barnum saying comes to mind. With regards to the American consumer, even without trying you can make a fool of ‘em ALL of the time! Read on - Moby's letter reprinted verbatim.

***

How's it going?

The album just came out and it would be #1 euro charts if not for michael jackson re-release s.

So that's good.

But here's something funny: the best selling itunes track is 'shot in the back of the head'.

Why is that funny?

Because its the track we've been giving away for free for the last 2 months and that we're still givng away for free.

Odd.

How are you?

Moby

***

Video for "Shot In the Back of the Head" (dir. by David Lynch):

We're partial to those DC and Marvel Comics stamps, personally , but to each his own...

By Blurt Staff

Say, if you're not doing anything this July 4 weekend, why not log on to the world wide web, surf over to Britain's Isle of Man, and order you up some official BEE GEES COMMEMORAT IVE POSTAGE STAMPS! This ain't no jive talkin'... read on. Meanwhile, where's our well-worn copy of Saturday Night Fever...

***

Isle of Man Post Office commemorat es the long and illustriou s career of this world-famo us Manx-born band with this set of eight stamps which chart their progress through the years. The images are derived from the covers of many of their milestone albums.

This multiple award-winn ing group were born on the Isle of Man to English parents, Hugh and Barbara and the family lived in various places during the boys' childhood -- the Isle of Man, Chorlton-c um-Hardy, Manchester and Australia. It was here in Australia that their musical career began. After early chart success in Australia, they returned to England where they met Robert Stigwood who became their manager and mentor and the Bee Gees, as they became known, were promoted to a worldwide audience.

It has been estimated that the Bee Gees' record sales total more than 200 million, making them one of the best-selli ng music artists of all time.

Although they have lived on three different continents , the Bee Gees have always felt a strong attachment to the Island on which they were born. On Christmas day 1997, Manx Radio broadcast a special programme for which the brothers recorded a version of the Island's unofficial national anthem "Ellan Vannin" for Manx Children in Need. "It was such a proud moment for us" Maurice said. "Believe you me, it was wonderful to do something for home."

Sadly Maurice died in January 2003, bringing an unexpected end to one of the most distinctiv e sounds in pop history. The surviving Bee Gees are proud to be Manx-born and the Isle of Man is just as proud of them, over fifty years after they left home.

Technical Details

Design.....Kcreative
Text......Bob Stanley
Printer.....Lowe-Marti n
Stamp Size.....31.7 x 31.7mm
Colours.....5 plus gold foil
Process.....Offset Lithograph y
Format.....2 sheets of 16
Perforatio ns.....14 per 2cm
Paper......110 gms
Date of Issue.....July 1st 2009

Products Available

Mint Set......£4.93
CTO Set......£4.93
Mint Sheet Set......£19.72
CTO Sheet Set......£19.72
Presentati on Pack.....£5.68
First Day Cover.....£5.63
Crown Coin......£12.50
Stamp & Coin Folder.....£30.00

For further informatio n regarding the Bee Gees commemorat ive stamps, please contact Maxine (maxine.cannon@iom post.com) or Dot (dot.tilbury@io mpost.com) at the Isle Of Man postal service. Telephone: +44 (0)1624 698430 / Fax: +44 (0)1624 698434

www.iomstamps.com

Annual North Carolina music fest/semin ar needs a cash infusion.

By Fred Mills

Back in January we were telling you about the annual POPAshevil le fest, a multi-day- event that brought a slew of NC, SC, TN and GA indie bands to various clubs in Asheville, NC, along with workshops and panels (this year featured keynote speaker Dave Allen, who was rousingly received). Kinda like a mini-SXSW or Mergefest, and indeed, a good time was had by all.

Now, according to a report in local newsweekly the Mountain Xpress, the event needs to preemptive ly raise about $15,000 if it's to continue operating into 2010. Founder Stephanie Morgan, frontwoman of BLURT faves stephanies id (the band is one of our Best Kept Secrets; story here), is stepping down from her position as POPAshevil le director in order to concentrat e on her group, which is doing exceedingl y well, nationally . Taking her place is Susanne Hackett, a longtime festival associate, so they need to get together the money in order to pay Hackett's salary along with other operating expenses. And they need to raise the funds by July 15.

"We know that it's a longshot to try raise the money so quickly," Morgan told the newspaper. "But there are so many people who care about it so much. We need a philanthro pist or a business that's really looking to get its name out there."

Anybody willing to step up, or simply offer help, contact the organizers of POPAshevil le:

www.popashevil le.com

popashevil le@gmail.com

It's always a great day when we have an excuse to run a Grace Potter photo!

By Blurt Staff

Here's wishing all of you a solid, safe 4th, from BLURT - with a little help from our friend Grace Potter, courtesy this little flashback from her photo session for us back in 2008 when we were still known as Harp.


[Photo by Russ Harrington ]

The Motor City Madman on the state of our fair Union.

By Fred Mills

It's pretty obvious we here at BLURT don't think much of Ted Nugent, at least not his reactionar y, right-lean ing politics (musically , on the other hand, despite a recurring misogynist streak in his lyrics, he's fueled many a house party, going all the way back to his Amboy Dukes days). However, one of the hallmarks of freethinke rs is the ability to find common intellectu al ground even with people you normally disagree with, and we'd like to think we dyed-in-th e-wool Democrats and Obama supporters are freethinke rs who don't mind admitting that some of our politics probably hews closer to Libertaria n-think. It's very easy to distrust the government , given its track record, and as the Nuge points out below in his July 4 essay, both of the major parties long ago set into play what's essentiall y a ignore-no- let's-scre w-the-aver age-citize n policy.

So in the interest of offering the readers some after-the- 4^th food for thought - Nugent's got as much right to say what he wants as Bono does in some rambling essay penned for the New York Times, and you as citizens should listen to ALL viewpoints anyway - we present Terrible Ted's complete editorial, verbatim, without any of our own snarky asides we might sometimes feel compelled to insert.

And if you just can't get with some of Nugent's notions, we suggest you run, don't walk, to the closest newsstand and pick up the July 9 edition of Rolling Stone (yeah, the one with contributi ng editor Jenny Eliscu's testicles- lapping Jonas Brothers cover story). In it you'll find political writer Matt Taibbi's article on how Goldman Sachs manipulate d the American Dream to the point where it runs Washington and now there's nothing left to dream about: titled "The Great American Bubble Machine" it is without a doubt the most terrifying piece of prose we've read since Stephen King's It all those years ago. That is underscore s a lot of what Nugent writes about in his own piece is cause for even further shuddering .

What's that old saying? You may already be fucked by the time you begin reading this...

***

Happy Upside-dow n Day, America: It's Independen ce Day, but only for those of us who refuse to be eaten by Fedzilla.

By Ted Nugent

As the stunned and defeated British army marched out of Yorktown, their band appropriat ely played the song "A World Turned Upside Down."

Our forefather s pledged their lives and fortunes to fight and defeat the world's mightiest army and give birth to America.  Our victory over King George was the greatest military upset in the annals of human history.  George Washington believed our amazing victory was a result&nbs p;of divine providence .

The dream of limited government , personal freedom and liberty, rugged individual ism, and self-suffi ciency that our forefather s fought and died for is rapidly disappeari ng in 2009.  It is once again a world turned upside down.

Our federal government is turning into the very type of heavy-hand ed, unaccounta ble, and disrespect ful government our forefather s despised, fought against, and warned us to avoid.  Too few Americans know and appreciate this critically important piece of American history.  Shame on them.

Instead of heeding the warnings of our forefather s, we have embraced big government and both political parties have been more than happy to give it to us over the past 45 years, thereby making us more dependent on Fedzilla-- the federal beast with a voracious appetite for our tax dollars, and intentiona lly creating dependency and control.  We are once again becoming subjects, not citizens.

Fedzilla is the most unresponsi ve, unaccounta ble, bloated and ineffectiv e bureaucrat ic nightmare the world has ever witnessed.  It punishes the producers and risk-taker s while rewarding the simpletons it has conned into believing it is helping.  Fedzilla is the enemy of the free market and freedom.

Instead of allowing the free market to correct itself, Fedzilla meddles in the free market and makes things worse. I give you F reddie Mac and Fannie Mae.  Using our tax dollars, Fedzilla has purchased General Motors, and bailed out AIG and other financial institutio ns. &nbs p;

Fedzilla pushed through an unauthoriz ed tr illion-dol lar economic stimulus bill that not one elected representa tive read before voting on it.  Regardless what legal nuance or loophole some Fedzillacr at lawyer could point to in our constituti on or court decision that allows for such grotesque meddling and spending, I adamantly believe this level of federal meddling and control was not the dream of our forefather s.

And guess what?  ; It's not working.  Our economy would recover more and faster if Congress repealed the phony "stimulus" and get out of the way of free market capitalism . 

In the latest of initiative s that "we must solve immediatel y," President Obama wants to Fedzillari ze the health-car e industry.  Placing your health and trust in the bureaucrat ic hands of Fedzilla is analogous to asking a drunk driver for a ride.  Fedzilla will destroy your health.  It creates cancer, does not cure it.

We are witnessing what large government will do to its citizens and to itself if left virtually unchecked.  Due to unsustaina ble and out-of-con trol "budgets", the state of California is on verge of a financial meltdown.  Other states such as New York are not far behind.  Fedzilla will ultimately collapse under its own weight because the socialism model it is built upon is ultimately unsustaina ble.  However, the social, economic, and cultural carnage it will cause to America until it collapses will be catastroph ic.  Free men and women are horrified.

Higher taxes and more government ultimately lead to economic genocide.  Alternativ ely, lower taxes, less government , and more independen ce lead to prosperity for all who are willing to take advantage of it.  Our forefather s who threw the tea over the side of the ship in Boston Harbor knew this.  The people who attended the Tea Parties this past April know it.  Do you?

Sometime during your Dependence Day celebratio n, you should take a few moments and read the Declaratio n of Independen ce aloud to your children, relatives and guests.  Read it slowly and let the words sink in.  When finished, reflect for a moment on our forefather s who bravely signed their names to it, thereby signing their own death warrant. 

Think about that.  They were willing to die for the chance at limited federal
government , independen ce, freedom and liberty.  They didn't fight and die for freedom so you could have Fedzilla housing, food, transporta tion and health care.

To my fellow Americans who still cherish the dream of our founding fathers, I wish you a wonderful and Happy Independen ce Day.  To those of you who are willing to compromise your liberty and freedom in the hopes that Fedzilla will provide you an artificial  blan ket of security, enjoy your Dependence Day.

I'm a free man--a citizen, not a subject--w ho still hears the distant ringing of the Liberty Bell.  Don't tread on me and I won't be forced to Ted on you.  Be forewarned :  push me too far at your own peril.

Referred to by some as "music's biggest bastard".

By Fred Mills

Allen Klein, the tough-talk ing, cigar-chom ping, no-nonsens e former manager for both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, died Saturday (July 4) in New York. He'd been suffering from Alzheimer' s and was 77.

Klein's career in the music business was as controvers ial as it was long. As far back as the late ‘50s he was known for extracting , via a mixture of legal wrangling and outright bullying and intimidati ng, royalties and other moneys owed by record labels to his clients, who included in addition to the Beatles and the pop crooner Bobby Darin, soulman Sam Cooke and British Invasion stars Herman's Hermits and the Dave Clark Five. (A good summary of Klein's travels through the industry can be found at his Wikipedia entry.) His tenure handling the Stones ran from the mid ‘60s through 1970, at which time the band fired him, setting up a lawsuit on Klein's part that resulted in his taking ownership to the rights of the bulk of their pre-1971 back catalog (hence the ABKCO label, which continues to reissue all the early, classic Stones albums and reap enormous annual profits year after year).

The Klein-Beat les years make for a tangled tale marked on the one hand by John Lennon's initial insistence that Klein would be the right man to take over their chaotic financial affairs (e.g. Apple Corps, Apple Records, etc.), and on the other by Paul McCartney' s continual mistrust of Klein, thereby setting up - or at least help fuel - the events leading to the Beatles' demise. Over the years Klein has been known to many as the man who broke up the Beatles, which is probably a stretch but not necessaril y a badge of dishonor to Klein, either, who in interviews over the years seemed to relish his badguy role. The fact that he worked with both George Harrison and John Lennon & Yoko Ono in various capacities post-break up would suggest that like him or not, people came to him to get the job done.

According to the BBC, Klein was once quoted as saying, referring to his reputation , "Don't talk to me about ethics. Every man makes his own. It's like a war."

The New York Times once described Klein as "the toughest wheeler-de aler in the pop jungle."

Klein subsequent ly dabbled in concert promotion and film production while continuing to poke his head into the affairs of the music industry - he bought the rights to Phil Spector's songwritin g catalogue in the 1980s, for example. And he refused to go quietly later in life, either. His reputation as a shark-like litigator preceding him, he came down hard on the Verve in the late ‘90s when their song "Bitterswe et Symphony" became a worldwide hit; as it also contained a prominent, but unauthoriz ed, sample from the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," a song owned by ABKCO, Klein successful ly sued the Verve to gain 100% of its royalties - then he turned the song into licensing gold via its use in ads by Nike and a British automaker.

Although Klein continues to be reviled in certain quarters even in death (one obituary headline this weekend read "Death Of Music's Biggest Bastard," although a credible case could be made, alternativ ely, for Suge Knight), arguably the music would have been just a bit less colorful without his maverick presence. Didja know that John Belushi's badass "Ron Decline" character in the Rutles film All You Need is Cash was based on Klein?

It's only rock ‘n' roll, but, hey...

September event will feature national and Portland-r egion acts.

By Blurt Staff

Willamette Week's Musicfest NW announces this year's festival line-up which will be held at various venues around the Portland, OR metropolit an area on September 16, 17, 18 & 19. Among the notable players already lined up: Sunny Day Real Estate,&nb sp; Explosions In The Sky, Beach House, Girl Talk, Bad Brains, Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Mudhoney.

Full details can be found at the MFNW official site.

MFNW's ultimate aim is to provide Portland with a unique and special musical experience that features all types of acts including nationally renowned artists while still honoring and supporting the special musical scene of the Northwest. Seattle's KEXP (www.kexp.org) radio will broadcast live from Portland at The Doug Fir Lounge September 17-18 during MFNW, with live performanc es from artists playing the festival.

Confirmed thus far:

Sunny Day Real Estate

Explosions In Sky

Bad Brains

Girl Talk

The Get Up Kids

Will Sheff (of Okkervil River)

Dirty Three

Monotonix

Mudhoney

Frightened Rabbit

Twilight Sad

Dillinger Four

Swollen Members

Grand Duchy

Beach House

John Vanderslic e

The Long Winters

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

Pink Mountainto ps

OM

Portugal The Man

Viva Voce

The Builders and The Butchers

Langhorne Slim

Bobby Bare Jr.

Chairlift

Loch Lomond

Team Dresch

Erase Errata

J.D. Twitch (Optimo)

Eluvium

Youth Group

Titus Andronicus

The Zeros

Mount Eerie

Trash Talk

Despise You

Crom

Japanther

Mayer Hawthorne & The County

Grouper

Richard Swift

Austin Lucas

Amazing Baby

Brother Reade

Love Language

Anders Parker

The Morning Benders

The Miniature Tigers

Common Market

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

We Were Promised Jetpacks

Say Hi

Rocky Votolato

Cymbals Eats Guitars

Copy

Red Fang

Saviours

Norfolk & Western

Nurses

Explode Into Colors

Portland Cello Project

Guidance Counselor

Fences

And much much more....

Groundbrea king Prog album now to include unreleased tracks.

By Blurt Staff

On August 11 Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera' s Expression Records will release The 801 Series, comprising 801 Live Collector' s Edition, 801 Manchester , 801 Live @ Hull and 801 Latino. All four albums have been digitally remastered and repackaged with extras. The original classic album, 801 Live, is presented in a book form with an extra CD containing previously unheard rehearsal footage from Shepperton Studios as well as new photograph s and text.

 
Phil Manzanera explains the origin of the series: "Over the years I've been sent photos from these gigs, which led me to go back to the original concert tapes, and then [fellow band member] Bill MacCormick came across yet more photos and struck gold with the audio of the 801 Shepperton Studios rehearsals .  So that was the impetus for this 801 Live  Collectors   Edition and series."

801 Live was originally released in 1976 to rave critical reviews and an enthusiast ic reception by Prog fans and Anglophile s. It boasted material penned by Manzanera and MacCormick as well as songs by Brian Eno (then a member of the group), the Kinks (a Prog-rock take on "You Really Got Me") and the Beatles (likewise, with "Tomorrow Never Knows").

In 1976, while Roxy Music had temporaril y disbanded, 801 (also referred to as THE 801) got together as a temporary project and began rehearsing at Island Studios, Hammersmit h, about three weeks before their first gig. The name of the band was taken from the Eno song "The True Wheel", which appears on his 1974 solo album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). The refrain of the song -- "We are the 801, we are the central shaft" -- reportedly came to him in a dream.

The original sextet included Manzanera, Brian Eno, Bill MacCormick , Francis Monkman, Simon Phillips and Lloyd Watson, and after a warm up show in Cromer in Norfolk, that line-up played just two gigs - at the Reading Festival (with John Peel acclaiming them 'the musical high point of the weekend') and at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. This memorable concert was subsequent ly released as '801 Live'.

Appearing at the height of the punk rock revolution in the UK, the LP was not a major commercial success, but it sold well throughout the world, due both for the superb performanc es by the musicians and for its groundbrea king sound quality.

(Although live albums were by then becoming increasing ly sophistica ted in their production -- thanks to the advent of portable multi-trac k recorders and mobile studios -- most were hampered by relatively poor sound quality. Up until this time, the standard procedure for both front-of-h ouse mixing and live recording was to capture the sound of amplified instrument s such as guitars by placing microphone s in front of the amplifiers . Although many superb performanc es were captured, the results were still markedly inferior to studio recordings and live recordings often suffered from a range of problems such as distortion , noise, sound "leakage" between instrument s, poor separation and intrusive audience sounds.)

As Melody Maker put it at the time, "During the concert, these people collective ly reached a point where virtually anything is possible. The music seemed to me to embody all the virtues of the very early Roxy Music, with the freedom to try and the freedom to fail. Except that now they're more confident, more able, more eloquent. Manzanera, Eno, and the rest of the "school" to which they belong have, if they wish, a lengthy and increasing ly fascinatin g creative life ahead of them. As the words of ‘Tom orrow Never Knows' suggest, "801 Live" may well be simply the end of the beginning."

 

Track listing:

CD 1 - Lagrima, T.N.K, East Of Asteroid, Rongwrong, Sombre Reptiles, Golden Hours, The Fat Lady Of Limbourg, Baby's On Fire, Diamond Head, Miss Shapiro, You Really Got Me, Third Uncle.

CD 2 (Recorded at Shepperton Studios during rehearsals Aug 23rd 1976) - Lagrima, T.N.K, East Of Asteroid, Rongwrong, Sombre Reptiles, The Fat Lady Of Limbourg, Baby's On Fire, Diamond Head, Miss Shapiro, You Really Got Me, Third Uncle, Lagrima (Reprise)
 

Sigur Ros side project has album released on July 21.

By Fred Mills

Awhile back we told you about Sigur Ros offshoot Riceboy Sleeps, a new art/music project from Jon Thor Birgisson and his partner Alex Somers. Now we hear, thanks to Pitchfork, that a free MP3 download of the track "Boy 1904" from the forthcomin g self-title d album (due July 21 on XL Recordings ) has been made available at the Riceboy Sleeps website, so check it out, along with a video clip, below.

Meanwhile, over in Sigur Ros territory, don't forget about that Spinner Session that recently premiered - recorded last September and supporting then-new Flood-prod uced album Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust, the band played four songs:&nbs p; "Vid Spilum Endalaust" , "Fljotavik ", "Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysing ur", and "Illgresi" .

There goes our hero again!

By Blurt Staff

"Nightmare of Sound Tour" - works for us!

By Blurt Staff

With their new album Everything Goes Wrong set to drop Sept. 8 on In The Red, the Vivian Girls will be getting ready to shift into high gear with a string of warmup dates that includes the Pitchfork Music Festival on July 19. That will be followed with the full-on "Nightmare of Sound Tour" commencing on August 25. See below for the full itinerary.

The tracklisti ng for the album has also been announced - we've heard it, and it does indeed kick ass, and you can no doubt hear a teaser or two yourself at their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/vivian girlsnyc . Watch for our Vivian Girls profile in the winter issue of BLURT, due in September.

Tour Dates:

Thu-Jul-09  &nbs p;  Mexi co City, MX &n bsp;  El Almac&eacu te;n #
Thu-Jul-16  &nbs p;  Toro nto, ON &n bsp;  Phoe nix Theater %
Sun-Jul-19  &nbs p;  Chic ago, IL &n bsp;  Pitc hfork Music Festival
Fri-Jul-31  &nbs p;  New York, NY &n bsp;  Whit ney Museum $

***

Tue-Aug-25  &nbs p;  New York, NY &n bsp;  Deat h By Audio +
Wed-Aug-26  &nbs p;  Phil adelphia, PA &n bsp;  The Barbary +
Thu-Aug-27  &nbs p;  Pitt sburgh, PA &n bsp;  Andy Warhol Museum +
Fri-Aug-28  &nbs p;  Colu mbus, OH &n bsp;  Summ it +
Sat-Aug-29  &nbs p;  Cham paign, IL &n bsp;  Cowb oy Monkey +
Sun-Aug-30  &nbs p;  Chic ago, IL &n bsp;  Empt y Bottle +
Mon-Aug-31  &nbs p;  Minn eapolis, MN &n bsp;  7th St Entry +
Tue-Sep-01  &nbs p;  Farg o, ND &n bsp;  The Aquarium +
Fri-Sep-04  &nbs p;  Miss oula, MT &n bsp;  Unio n Hall +
Sun-Sep-06  &nbs p;  Seat tle, WA &n bsp;  Bumb ershoot Festival
Mon-Sep-07  &nbs p;  Port land, OR &n bsp;  TBA +
Wed-Sep-09  &nbs p;  San Francisco, CA &n bsp;  Rick shaw Stop - CD Release Show! +
Fri-Sep-11  &nbs p;  Los Angeles, CA &n bsp;  The Echo +
Fri-Oct-09  &nbs p;  Hono lulu, HI &n bsp;  Loft Gallery and Lounge

* = at WOODSIST / CAPTURED TRACKS festival
# = w/ KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW
% = w/ F****D UP, WOMEN
$ = w/ THESE ARE POWERS
+ = w/ THE BEETS

Everything Goes Wrong tracklist:

01 Walking Alone at Night
02 I Have No Fun
03 Can't Get Over You
04 Desert
05 Tension
06 Survival
07 The End
08 When I'm Gone
09 Out for the Sun
10 I'm Not Asleep
11 Double Vision
12 You're My Guy
13 Before I Start to Cry

Please vote.


Let's consider who deserves to be on the Mt. Rushmore of Funk.
That's Four Faces of Funk, etched on a monument somewhere suitably funky.

That could be a debate right there; where to put this monument to the monumental ly funky. Memphis, New Orleans, Detroit? James Brown's front yard? And what are we going to call it? Mt Funkmore? The Funk Rock?

We could also cheat a little and perhaps add a Fifth Face of Funk. As I'm hoping to make this a collective effort, I hope you will jump in with an opinion and an argument.

The criteria would have to be that they are a true founding father and inventor, not just an innovator- -we're talking about the building blocks, the very Fabric of Funk. It's not enough to just be an icon to make it to Mt. Rushmore; they have to be a master, a member of a small and select circle that is the well-sprin g of everything funky that came after them.  

So. It seems pretty irrefutabl e that James Brown and George Clinton deserve two of the slots. Is this even debatable? Between the two of them they pretty much represent the two major rivers of funk of the last forty + years. Brown is the sine qua non of funk, the original master that took R&B, dropped the 4/4 in favor of an off beat and presto! bingo! originated funk as we know it. The popping or slapping bass, chunky guitar, horn charts that jump in and out and call and response vocals are still being worked out today. Brown produced a body of work, on record and in performanc e both, that will most likely remain untouchabl e in it's quality, quantity and influence. So, there's one.

George Clinton took Brown's R&B generated funk and turned it on its ear, then inside out and back again. P-funk sometimes sounds like funk in slow-mo, other times in like funk in a mescaline and steroid frenzy, or Sesame Street with huge hair and shoes and synths doubling the crazy Space Bass line while a whole extended families of vocalists and players jump in for a never ending interstell ar houseparty . Clinton and his cohorts in Parliament , Funkadelic , Brides of Funkenstei n, etc. brought the Freak to Funk. The musical landscape will never be the same. I say there's two. You may say different.

Where do we go from there? Consider the candidates : Sly Stone, Issac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Bootsy Collins, Fela, The Meters (groups are problemati c for Mt Rushmore), Prince and...who? No women? Does Miles Davis qualify due to his mind-blowi ng early 70s recordings ? How about the producers (Norman Whitfield, Willie Hutch, etc.)? Can we nominate Stax Records as a whole (including the MGs), or the Funk Bros., or the whole city of New Orleans? Was Thriller a funk album? How about Madonna's bubble-gum funk? Or Latin Funk? Are there any Brits or Jamaican's that qualify? Any DJs? Hip hop artists?

I'm going with Sly Stone for the third spot. His biggest hits are both true funk classics and true cultural signifiers , his performanc es (Woodstock !) the stuff of legend and his mixture of rock and funk smashed thru a boundary desperatel y in need of smashing. He also had hits - lots of them. I say Sly qualifies for the number three spot.

It's gets pretty complex from here and will naturally devolve into personal taste. You could certainly make arguments for Hayes, Mayfield, Wonder Fela and Prince. "Shaft" was such monster that it practicall y qualifies Hayes by itself, but spotty quality control and a propensity for ballads dilutes Hayes funk factor. Curtis Mayfield qualifies with an abundance of great songs and an intelligen ce and social conscience that perfectly mirrors the revolution ary times he was recording in. Ditto Stevie Wonder, who revolution ized the sound of funk in a peerless series of hits in the 70s that also had the social consciousn ess down. Fela's influence and world-wide popularity are hard for American's to fathom, but he really was an funk ambassador to the world. And Prince? Well, he brought funk into the modern world, sexed it up to a delirious degree and blew through all the boundaries between rock, pop, funk, soul, R&B, and hip hop.

One peer has already made an impassione d argument for Bootsy Collins. Who have we missed? Who deserves to be up there with the Godfather?

If you please, vote with your opinion on who the Four Figures of Funk might be - or a fifth, if it pleases you. I'm leaving the fourth spot open, and hoping for a Funk Epiphany.  

You can leave comments below or e-mail them to me directly at modmedia@t heriver.com. 

Carl Hanni is a music writer, music publicist, disc jockey and vinyl archivist living in Tucson, AZ. He  hosts the vinyl-only Scratchy Record Show every Tuesday night at the Red Room in downtown Tucson, and spins records wherever and whenever he can. He believes that in a better (all analog) world all records would be released on vinyl, but takes good music from wherever he finds it--even on CD. His feature piece on legendary bass player/rec ord producer Harvey Brooks was recently published in Goldmine.

Demos have been recorded, however.

By Fred Mills

Although there's been plenty of fresh R.E.M. news in the mix of late, from word about a new live digital EP to be followed in the fall by a two-CD concert set, to the recently reissued Deluxe Edition of Reckoning (see our review here), what people REALLY want to know is when will the next studio album arrive.

Not anytime soon, according to band pal and auxiliary member Scott McCaughey, who indicates that he and several of the other musicians, minus Michael Stipe, have done some recording but that there are no formal plans to cut fresh material until the end of the year - and that it would probably be 2011 before something hits the stores.

"We're basically on a year off," McCaughey told BLURT's Jud Cost, in a recent interview. "The tour ended around Thanksgivi ng. As it happens, we've gotten together to do a little recording, just throwing down instrument al tracks. We got together in Athens for a few days, then Mike and Peter came to Portland and Bill came down and we got a studio for a week and banged out twelve or thirteen instrument al tracks. They sounded really great.

"There are no plans to get into the studio again until the end of this year. I could see by January we might start recording. But the next record won't come out, I'm guessing, until 2011. They were just demos, but the stuff we recorded sounded fantastic, so we'll have to see what Michael comes up with."

You can read the entire McCaughey interview next week at BLURT, where he holds forth on R.E.M. along with his various other projects - the Minus 5, the Venus 3 (w/Robyn Hitchcock) , Young Fresh Fellows, etc.

The Dinosaur Jr/Sebadoh /Folk Implosion dude dives into the "unknown"...

By Blurt Staff

On October 6, Merge Records will release Lou Barlow's new album,&nbs p;Goodnight Unknown. In the four years since his career-red efining, mostly acoustic record Emoh , Lou Barlow has reunited with Dinosaur Jr. and reissued three of Sebadoh's classic albums. But as the brilliant new Goodnight Unknown illu strates, he's hardly living in the past. Borrowing the live-band energy of Dinosaur Jr. and the stylistic reach of Sebadoh, Barlow has built on Emoh's full production and written a set of immediate, melodic pop songs that Lou describes as, "a cross between my later work with Folk Implosion and my earlier work with Sebadoh...to my ears, anyway."

From the surging opening track "Sharing" to the surprising ly soulful performanc es on "The Right,"&nb sp;Goodnight Unknown bene fits from Barlow's tunefulnes s and his decision to record the record relatively quickly, with old friends and new. The Melvins' Dale Crover adds inspired drum work throughout , and Goodnight Unknown's urgent sound owes just as much to frequent Barlow collaborat or Imaad Wasif (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, alaska!). The record's considerab le power also stems from the new talents on board, including producer Andrew Murdock and Lisa Germano.

Lou Barlow + The Missingmen will be on tour throughout the fall opening for Dinosaur Jr. The Missingmen are guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales. Lou "stole" them from Mike Watt for this tour, and is excited to be bringing you the full band experience of Goodnight Unknown.

Goodnight Unknown&nb sp;Track Listing:&n bsp;

1. Sharing&nb sp;

2. Goodnight Unknown&nb sp;

3. Too Much Freedom&nb sp;

4. Faith In Your Heartbeat& nbsp;

5. The One I Call 

6. The Right  ;

7. Gravitate& nbsp;

8. I'm Thinking... 

9. One Machine, One Long Fight  ;

10. Praise&nbs p;

11. Take Advantage& nbsp;

12. Modesty&nb sp;

13. Don't Apologize& nbsp;

14. One Note Tone 

Lou Barlow + the Missingmen on Tour:

09-30 Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre

10-01 Montreal, QUE - Pop Montreal Festival

10-02 Cambridge, MA - Middle East

10-03 Cambridge, MA - Middle East

10-04 Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights

10-07 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place

10-08-09 Washington , DC - 9:30 Club

10-09 Philadelph ia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts

10-10 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall

10-11 Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot

10-13 Madison, WI - The Majestic Theatre

10-14 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant

10-15 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre

10-16 Louisville , KY - Headliner' s Music Hall

10-17 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse

10-26 Kansas City, MO - The Beaumont Club

10-27 Omaha, NE - Slowdown

10-29 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater

10-30 Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre

11-03 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre

11-04 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern&nbs p;

11-06 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore

11-07 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

Benny and Bjorn wanna be free of emperors and kings, and, oh yeah, they want you to come check out their new musical.

By Blurt Staff

Here at BLURT, we got juice - so much juice, in fact, that the goddam Consulate General of Sweden is in regular communicat ion with us. You know, about which of his fair country's bands (who seem to be invading us with increasing frequency) are hip and which one are drips. Stuff like that. In return, he passes along exclusive news tips to us, such as the one below, reproduced verbatim.

***

A Note From Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus

Dear Friends,

If you wanna be free of emperors and kings!

Leave the kings and emperors behind you

Don't let'em tie you down and clip your wings

Don't let'em shackle and bind you

That's how Karl Oskar and his younger brother Robert saw America. Kristina, Karl Oskar's wife, was more hesitant and inclined to look back:

Voices whisper behind me

They remind me

Every night

Of another existence

Far in the distance

It comes in sight

Now I see them clear

My folks at the crossroads waving

Losing their child forever

I see them cry

It's as if they're here

My people of time gone by

They come to me when night is falling

Twilight images calling

They crossed an ocean and so will we, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with the musical about these immigrants from Sweden, who are so famous in the country they left. Made immortal by Vilhelm Moberg, on whose novels the musical, "Kristina" , is based. Writing it back in the beginning of the nineties, we always saw it as an American story just as much as a Swedish one. And it was always our dream to be able to introduce "Kristina" to an American audience. Now, at last, the time has come. In musical and lyrical form, in two concerts at Carnegie Hall, we will proudly present our musical on the 23rd and the 24th of September.

We are very fortunate to have the original Kristina, Helen Sjöho lm, with us and the English tenor Russell Watson will sing Karl Oskar. They will be backed by the American Theatre Orchestra and choir, conducted by Paul Gemignani.

Swedish ancestry or not, we look forward to seeing you there!

Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus

Releases 12-inch EP on July 28.

By Blurt Staff

Hydra Head's heavier than heavy artist Cave In is back after a nearly four-year hiatus. As the label puts it, the metalcore group has "officiall y un-disband ed." And to mark the occasion, ther's a new limited-ed ition 12-inch EP en route from the band on July 28.

Titled Planets of Old, the platter is already getting the old hype-a-roo ney, with Hydra Head predicting "this one-hundo- eighty gram specimen is guaranteed to enter the endangered rankings upon inception" and become a hot eBay item.

We have no problemo with that!

It's preceded by the "Retina Sees Rewind" digital single, which hit iTunes today.

Track Listing:

1. Cayman Tongue
2. Retina Sees Rewind
3. The Redtrail
4. Air Escapes

Promoting recent Matador album The Eternal.

By Blurt Staff

Sonic Youth, currently featured on the cover of the new Fall issue of BLURT, will be playing live tonight at D.C.'s 9:30 Club, and NPR Music will be webcasting it as it happens. Details below, or go HERE to NPR's Sonic Youth page.

WHAT:  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; NPR Music's "Live in Concert" series continues with a live performanc e from influentia l alternativ e rock band Sonic Youth.  All Songs Considered 's Bob Boilen hosts the show, which will be streamed live and archived at www.NPR.org/music

WHEN:  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; TONIGHT, July 7 at approximat ely 10:00PM (ET)

WHERE:&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Live at NPR Music.  The concert is being streamed live from Washington , D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

Heartless Bastards, Sonic Youth, Kinky, Magnolia Electric Company, Miike Snow, Serengeti & Polyphonic , Foreign Born

By Blurt Staff

It's officially New Music Tuesday at BLURT, which means, quite logically, you can hear some new music today (Tuesday, duh) at BLURT.

What, pray tell, is the new music in question? Glad you asked! Glom onto these ace MP3s:

Heartless Bastards and Sonic Youth - If I were a carpenter (Tim Hardin cover)

Kinky - Those Girls (featuring Money Mark)

Magnolia Electric Company - Josephine (off Josephine, Secretly Canadian)

Miike Snow - Animal (off Animal, Rcrd Lbl)

Serengeti and Polyphonic - 2 x 2 (Alias Remix) (off Terradacty l, Anticon)

Foreign Born - Vacationin g People (off Person to Person, Secretly Canadian)

Just click on the BLURT Radio icon on the right-hand side of our homepage and wait for the music player to pop up in a separate window. Then enjoy some fine listening!

And check back every week, same BLURT-time , same BLURT-chan nel, to hear the latest streaming goodies, all personally netted, vetted and hand-selec ted by our trained staff of highly evolved primates. Why? Because at BLURT, we care.

Not literally... we just like the way that headline looks.

By Blurt Staff

John "Stumpy" Pepys died in 1969 in a bizarre gardening accident.

Eric Childs choked to death on someone else's vomit  ;in 1974.

Three years later, Peter "James" Bond spontaneou sly combusted on stage.

In 1992, Mick Shrimpton disappeare d and is presumed dead. In an interview on the Arsenio Hall Show later that year, David St. Hubbins referred to a drummer he did not name who had been accidental ly packed with the band's equipment and never seen again. 

Like the riddles of the Sphinx, we may never know the true answer to the curse of the Spinal Tap drum chair, but that's not standing in the way of Patrick Carney from tempting that dangerous dame, Fate.

While his partner-in -crime in the Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, is off galavantin g around the globe in support of his excellent 2009 solo release, Keep It Hid, Carney has assembled a veritable quiver of stick men from the Buckeye State for Drummer, a new band featuring Carney on bass,  ;Teeth of the Hydra's Jamie Stillman (guitar), Beaten Awake's Jon Finley (vocals, guitar), Houseguest /Six Parts Seven's Stephen Clements (keyboards , vocals), and Ghostman and Sandman's Greg Boyd behind the kit.

The quintet's debut release,&n bsp;Feel Good Together, is slated for release on September 29 on Carney's own Audio Eagle label. Give it a listen&nbs p;here.

Drummer will be touring this fall - itinerary, below.

Tracklisti ng:

01 Lottery Dust

02 Feel Good Together

03 Serious Encounters

04 Mature Fantasy

05 Every Nineteen Minutes

06 Good Golly

07 Connect to Lounge

08 Buddyscape s

09 Diamonds to Shake

10 Summer Control

Tour Dates:

08-07 Akron, OH - Musica

10-08 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw *

10-09 Philadelph ia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *

10-10 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *

10-11 Cambridge, MA - T.T. the Bear's *

10-12 Washington , DC - DC9 *

10-13 Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar *

10-14 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 *

10-15 Knoxville, TN - The Pilot Light *

10-16 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *

10-17 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge *

10-19 Louisville , KY - Skull Alley *

10-20 Indianapol is, IN - Spin Nightclub *

10-21 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon *

10-22 Minneapoli s, MN - 7th Street Entry *

10-23 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern *

10-24 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *#

* with Royal Bangs

# with Other Girls

In The Pines: Dungen, Wooden Shjips, Kurt Vile, Gang Gang Dance, VietNam and others will be frammin' on the jim-jam.

By Fred Mills

While everyone is going all glassy-eye d over the impending 40^th anniversar y of Woodstock, another festival that went down in 1969 is seemingly being overlooked : the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival, which featured Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, John Sebastian and other mainstays of the countercul ture. It took place September 13 and 14 and subsequent ly spawned a 1971 film, Celebratio n at Big Sur, along with a very cool soundtrack album, but of course Woodstock overshadow ed it. (Brush up on your Big Sur lore HERE.) Just the same, good vibes were had by all, and attendees came away with fond memories.

Now, the good folks at Kemado Records have announced a kind of return to Big Sur, with an affordable , one-day mini-festi val slated for August 29 that's intended to bring things down to a manageable level - as anybody who, like us, is frankly kind of exhausted from all the mega-festi vals this year. Among the acts signed up to perform: Gang Gang Dance, Dungen, VietNam, Kurt Vile and Wooden Shjips. Here's the official press release from Kemado:

Over the past 7 years, NYC's Kemado Records has been home to a variety of bands and artists ranging from Metal to Psych Rock to Folk. In this time of growth, we as a label have proven lasting worth and stand as a destinatio n for acts strong, stoner, and sunny. In conjunctio n with the signing of a slew of new exciting artists, a limited edition vinyl-only imprint named Mexican Summer was born and embraced with amazing response.

Though the label is based in NY, our love for the West coast is quite apparent with the artists we work with within the bands, album art, music videos, and events we host and produce. It's always been a dream and goal for us to curate a day in the magical space of Big Sur, California where a special community of patrons drink, flirt, and happily commune to a slew of great musical performanc es. What could be better then a weekend of amazing jams and good friends in one of the most beautiful venues in North America?&n bsp; Sold!

To warmly counter act the wave of blockbuste r festivals occurring all summer, we decided it would be a fine opportunit y to collaborat e with the lovely people at Folk Yeah! to produce a mini-festi val with bands we work with plus some we love. (((folkYEA H!))) have been promoting festivals in Big Sur for years now. The festival will be held Saturday, August 29th, tickets are $29 and available via http://www .henrymille r.org/ .

The talent for the festival is already nothing short of splendid including Dungen, the newly reunited VietNam, Kurt Vile, Wooden Shjips, and Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. With tons of great bands from our label, the lineup also includes bands that we've grown to know and love over the years.  Most feel like family.  The styles run the gamut from hard rock to folk, and a bunch of everything in between, including some of the most talked about bands this year.

CONFIRMED TALENT

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

Dungen

Farmer Dave Scher

Gang Gang Dance

Kurt Vile

Saviours

VietNam

Wooden Shjips

Woods

Unique marketing strategy with that now-unavai lable song, too!

By Blurt Staff

Wakefield, England melodic punk band, THE CRIBS have completed their 4^th album and 2^nd for Warner Bros. Records, entitled, "IGNORE THE IGNORANT."

Produced and mixed by Nick Launay ( Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Pil / Arcade Fire / Nick Cave) at Seedy Underbelly Studio in Los Angeles, CA and British Grove in London the album is the band's first as  a four-piece with the relatively new addition of guitarist Johnny Marr.

Fans can hear a brand new track from the album, "We Were Aborted,"v ia the band's website: www.thecribs.com.  Note that according to a press release from the label, the track will only be available until 10:00AM UK time today, which means you've missed it, suckers!

Domestic release date and tour info will be announced soon.

BLURT's fave drummer steps out with collection of classic pop-influe nced tunes.

By Blurt Staff

"I guess I've been writing songs since I was a kid," says Dennis Diken. "There are melodies and lyric ideas that I just can't get out of my head and some of them have been lodged there since I was five or six years old! But I grew up thinking I was just a self-taugh t drummer and that was my gig."

Diken, best known for providing the backbeat with New Jersey's Smithereen s since 1980, has emerged from behind the drum kit to present the forthcomin g album Late Music under the nom du disque Dennis Diken with Bell Sound. The recording, due out on September 29, 2009, will be issued by Cryptovisi on, distribute d by Select-O-H its.

 
Diken hastens to add, "Please don't call it a 'solo' album. This music was hatched by two musically like-minde d guys." Fellow Jerseyan Pete DiBella collaborat ed with Dennis to bring 13 songs to fruition, reflecting their mutual love of classic pop and rock genres. "DiBella is an inspired musical talent, with a special knack for vocal arranging. I did my first home recordings with him in the '70s and we reconnecte d in the '90s. His ability to maximize a minimal recording setup is stunning. "Standing in That Line" was cut on a four-track cassette!"

While Late Music was created mostly in East Coast home studios, Diken headed west to complete the project at the famed Bomb Factory in Los Angeles. "Dave Amels (Stepford Husbands, Reigning Sound, Mary Weiss) helmed the sessions, producing and playing a bank of keyboards. We called on friends from the Wondermint s (between gigs as Brian Wilson's band) to add vocals and instrument ation." Their sun-splash ed spirit is evident, especially on "Let Your Loved One Sleep."

Other guests include multi-inst rumentalis t Andy Paley (co-produc er of Brian Wilson's eponymous debut solo album).  "And y lived and breathed a good chunk of this record. He literally dreamed parts for "No One's Listening" and dashed to the studio one morning after awakening with some magical ideas." The Honeys, Brian Wilson's most celebrated outside production , sing backup on "Tell All the Fools." "It was a thrill to have Marilyn, Ginger and Diane on board. They sound wonderful as ever." Popmeister Jason Falkner can be heard on bass and lead guitar on "The Bad Merry-Go-R ound" and "I've Been Away," respective ly. Other vocal contributo rs include Ben Jaffe of HoneyHoney and Jude Christodal .

 
The finely-wro ught sound of Late Music owes much to The Four Freshmen, The Four Seasons, The Bee Gees and The Beach Boys. And Dennis Diken with Bell Sound's hat remains roguishly tipped to The Associatio n, The Who and The Move. Yet Late Music remains their own thing. 

Diken is a founding member of the Smithereen s, whose other remaining original members include Pat DiNizio and Jim Babjak, all of whom met in central New Jersey.

 
The release of Late Music also marks the relaunch of Cryptovisi on Records. During the mid 1980s, New York-based Cryptovisi on records rated in the top 25 of independen t record companies and launched the recording careers of people like Sam Coomes (Elliot Smith, Quasi, Donner Party). Other notable Cryptovisi on artists are Flying Color, Optic Nerve, Stepford Husbands, and The Mod Fun. Virtually none of the 1980s Cryptovisi on records have been released on CD.  Dave Amels, former head of A&R, now company chief, states, "The goal of the new Cryptovisi on Records is to both reissue selections from the 1980s catalog in digital form and to release really great new music . . .music rooted in the deep American pop and rock ‘n' roll traditions ."
 

Reflecting on Late Music, Diken adds, "I'm really proud of our work on this album. And I got to sing lead on most tracks. I guess you can say that vocals are my second love . . . next to playing drums."

Osso Quartet reworkds the whole deal for strings. With apologies to John Updike, of course!

By Blurt Staff

In 2001 composer and multi-inst rumentalis t Sufjan Stevens released his sophomore album Enjoy Your Rabbit-a collection of 14 electronic instrument al pieces, each inspired by a different animal of the Chinese Zodiac. In the time since that record's release, Stevens has expanded his repertoire to include collaborat ions with a number of artists including the Osso Quartet, who contribute d string arrangemen ts to Stevens' Illinois as well as My Brightest Diamond's Bring Me the Workhorse. On October 6 Stevens' own Asthmatic Kitty Records will release Osso Quartet's debut recording on CD and LP-a reimagined Enjoy Your Rabbit arranged for the string quartet, titled Run Rabbit Run.

The idea for Run Rabbit Run came to Stevens after he moved to the Ditmas Park neighborho od of Brooklyn in 2005. Among his new neighbors were Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National and their sister, Jessica. Sufjan quickly became friends with the Dessner clan, and Bryce suggested that Stevens rearrange Enjoy Your Rabbit for his other neighbors, Rob Moose (violin), Olivier Manchon (violin), Marla Hansen (viola) and Maria Bella Jeffers (cello)-th e Osso Quartet-wh o had recently collaborat ed with Stevens on his 2005 release, Illinois. The project was fully realized when Sufjan approached Jessica Dessner to contribute artwork to the album based on the original record's Chinese Zodiac illustrati ons created by artist Matt Morgan.

What began as an expression of community amongst the artist-res idents of Ditmas Park expanded to include members of a different artistic community as well. Over the next year a series of young composers- Nico Muhly, Michael Atkinson, Maxim Moston and Gabriel Kahane-rea rranged pieces from Enjoy Your Rabbit for Run Rabbit Run. Atkinson's arrangemen ts premiered at the Bryce Dessner-cu rated Music Now Festival in Cincinnati in 2007.

Osso Quartet began as members of My Brightest Diamond, the project of Stevens' one-time music director Shara Worden. After touring as members of both Shara and Sufjan's bands, the group made its premiere as the Osso Quartet while engaged as artists in residence at the 2007 Music Now Festival. In addition to their work with Osso Quartet, each member has a diverse performanc e background . Multi-inst rumentalis t Rob Moose plays with a number of ensembles including the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall and Antony and the Johnsons. Violinist Olivier Manchon has performed with a broad selection of artists including Charlie Haden and the Miniature Chamber Orchestra and played in the Broadway production of Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening. Violist Marla Hansen recorded her debut EP for Standard Recording and has performed alongside the New Pornograph ers, Jay-Z and Kanye West. Cellist Maria Jeffers has recorded with the Polyphonic Spree along with her work with Sufjan and My Brightest Diamond.

Legendary Sun Records mainstay battling bone cancer; bills sucking the well dry. Now it's your turn to help out, rock fans.

By Blurt Staff

Billy Lee Riley may not be a familiar name to all you hoodie/bac kpack-rock in' hipsters out there - his Memphis-st yle rockabilly and Sun Records oeuvre is about as far removed from the desolate shores of Brooklyn as it comes - but listen up, punks: with classic ‘50s sides like "Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock and Roll" in the man's back catalog, it's safe to say that ROCK AS WE KNOW IT would be a wildly different beast had Ma and Pa Riley never hunched out their sweet little Billy.

We won't belabor the point: just read the man's damn Wikipedia entry if you need to be brought up to speed.

So since you all owe a huge debt to the man, why not consider repaying it in some small fashion? Riley is now in very bad need of help, we are advised, as this following post on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame website outlines:

Billy has had his share of health problems, and is now battling Stage FOUR bone cancer. Although MusiCares is helping with house payment, car and such, he and [wife] Joyce are totally out of money and can barely afford to eat.

This is a CALL FOR HELP to all musicians and fans. Please remember, twenty bucks from all of us would make a HUGE difference in Billy's life! What if this was you?

Let's all get together and send something today to Billy and Joyce and show them that he means a lot to us.

If you have a website, a Facebook or MySpace, please post this need for help on it! We can't save the world, but it will mean a lot in Billy Lee's life!

His Address is:

Billy Lee Riley

723 Crest Drive

Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401

KISS legend releases first solo record in two decades.

By Blurt Staff

You all know that Ace Frehley was the only member of KISS that REALLY MATTERED, right? Gene Simmons' tongue? Feh - good name for a punk band, otherwise disgusting . Paul Stanley's chest wig? Sheesh - and we all know he wove his hair extensions from the follicles that he combed out! Peter Criss... dang, we can't really think of anything at the moment, unless it's that homeless dude that impersonat ed him in L.A. for a spell, which was kinda cool. But Ace man... the original spaceman will never be surpassed!

So for the first time in nearly 20 years, Frehley has emerged to add a new exclamatio n point to his celebrated solo career. Scheduled for liftoff on September 15th, the original KISS guitarist' s fifth solo album, Anomaly, will be released on his own Bronx Born Records (via Rocket Science). Frehley, a long time Gibson artist, will launch his second Gibson Ace Frehley Signature Les Paul guitar with the musical instrument giant later this year. His first signature Gibson guitar (in 1997) was one of the best selling signature models of all time. Never mind that the photo above shows him holding an Epiphone... we were in a hurry when we fished around on the ‘net for a pic...

 
More hype (all true, in fact): One of the most beloved personalit ies in rock ‘n' roll, Frehley's the man behind not only KISS' iconic logo, but the all-time stadium anthem "New York Groove." From the thunderous guitar riffs of the first single "Outer Space" to his supercharg ed cover of Sweet's 1975 classic "Fox on the Run," Anomaly includes several nods to his distinguis hed career. The pickup acrobatics of "Fractured Quantum" and wah-wah scourge of "Genghis Khan" (featuring backup vocals from Meat Loaf's daughter Pearl Aday) are signature Ace.  It should go without saying, but "this album has some heavy, heavy songs," Frehley promises.

Hey, we are ALL ABOUT heavy heavy songs.
 

Also in the pipeline: concert documentar y film.

By Blurt Staff

The Swell Season - Glen Hansard of the Frames and Marketa Irglova- are putting the finishing touches on Strict Joy, the follow-up to their surprise hit 2007 film and gold-certi fied soundtrack Once. It's due September 29 from Anti-.

Strict Joy which borrows its name from a work by Irish poet James Stephens, was co-produce d by Hansard and Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), and recorded mostly at Katis' Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport , CT. In addition to Hansard and Irglova, the album features Frames members Colm Mac Iomaire (violin), Joe Doyle (bass), Rob Bochnik (guitar), plus guitarist Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen), pianist Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), percussion ist Chad Taylor (Chicago Undergroun d Duo), horn players Steven Bernstein and Clark Gayton from Levon Helm's band, and others.

The Swell Season generated a wave of acclaim during the 2008 awards season including two Grammy nomination s and an Oscar win for Best Original Song, for their hit single "Falling Slowly." The duo performed the song on the Oscars telecast, and Irglova provided one of the most memorable and poignant moments of the evening when host Jon Stewart called her back to the stage after a commercial break to give her acceptance speech.

The success of 'Once' also led to a sold out world tour for The Swell Season which was captured for an upcoming documentar y. Hansard and Irglova will tour the U.S. extensivel y again this fall with dates tba.

Track Listing:

1. Low Rising
2. Feeling the Pull
3. In These Arms
4. The Rain
5. Fantasy Man
6. Paper Cup
7. High Horses
8. The Verb
9. I Have Loved You Wrong
10. Love That Conquers
11. Two Tongues
12. Back Broke

Guest post this week from an astounding singer-son gwriter, Peter Mulvey, whose new record Letters from a Flying Machine streets this August: "Eight songs, interspers ed with four prose pieces over music, framed as letters to my various nieces and nephews written on airplanes. The first one sets the place and the theme and they go from there." Brilliant.

Hear Peter reading the below letter here. Hear the song that goes with it here.

17th of June 2009
Over the Great Lakes

Dear Edgar-

Last week your father and I hooked up trailers behind our bicycles, and trundled you and your sister into them over your initial strident protests. Then we all rode twelve miles along the Hank Aaron trail, down by the ballpark and through the Menominee River valley. As we rode along, I marveled, as I often do, at these extraordin ary machines, which allowed us to cover the distance at a brisk but relaxed clip in a little over an hour.

But that is nothing: courtesy of a very different machine, I am at this moment hurtling Eastward, eight miles over Ontario -- over land, and water, and little herds of cumulus clouds far below.

Further, I am writing this letter with yet another machine; a mechanical pencil that would have flipped DaVinci&rs quo;s wig. And who knows what he would have made of the pocket-siz ed computer that is currently playing a Bach sonata through tiny speakers hidden in my ears...

Oh, the gadgetry! To make this recording, these amazing sounds must have leapt from an Italian violin, into a German microphone , to be rendered as ones and zeros somewhere in the dark of a Japanese hard drive.

And I wonder, did Bach write these notes down with a goose quill? With ink made from [...]

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.

More N'awlins funk, soul ‘n' roll than you can shake a crawdad at!

By Blurt Staff

The Ponderosa Stomp Concert, a New Orleans musical tradition, highlights the world's most authentic musicians of rockabilly , R&B, jazz, blues, garage, soul, funk, and swamp pop. The annual show has become a must-see event, functionin g as a showcase for living musical history. The Ponderosa Stomp exists to acknowledg e, pay tribute to, and teach the cultural significan ce of the unsung heroes and heroines of rock-n-rol l, rhythm & blues and other forms of American roots music. The Stomp began when a group of like-minde d friends began presenting shows at a small club; it has evolved into a multi-face ted musical, cultural and educationa l juggernaut . Events in New Orleans every spring include two jam-packed nights of music, a conference and symposium, film festival, record hop and now, a museum exhibit. Unsung Heroes: The Secret History of Louisiana Rock & Roll is currently on display at the Louisiana State Museum in the historic Cabildo in the heart of the French Quarter, running through May 2010.

Just in time for the Stomp at Lincoln Center next week, the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation unveils a micro-webs ite documentin g the stories of each performer on the shows. It features informatio n on the invaluable contributi ons each artist has made our musical culture, along with locations and showtimes for the show.

The first two nights of The Ponderosa Stomp at Lincoln Center, July 16^th and 17th are part of Lincoln Center's Midsummer Nights Swing, taking place at Damrosch Park. Each night kicks off with a dance lesson at 6:30 and the music starts at 7:30. Thursday night features The Get Down, a night of soul music excellence featuring William Bell, Harvey Scales, The Bobbettes and the incomparab le Bo-Keys. Friday night brings rockabilly to the forefront with the Best Dance in Town, in which New Orleans wild man Joe Clay, Sun Record's Carl Mann and the legendary brother/si ster duo The Collins Kids throw down, backed by Deke Dickerson and his Eccofonics .

Sunday, July 19^th, an tribute performanc e takes place at Alice Tully Hall in the Starr Theatre, in which a high-octan e array of Stomp artists will pay musical tribute to the "Creole Beethoven" , Wardell Quezergue. Quezergue, nicknamed by Allan Toussaint, has made musical history countless times as the man behind timeless hits like "Mr. Big Stuff", "Iko Iko" and "Chapel of Love". A genius musician, arranger and producer who is largely unknown outside of New Orleans, Quezergue helped shape the soulful sounds of the south into internatio nal hit records. The show features R&B icons The Dixie Cups and Robert Parker; soul greats Jean Knight, Dorothy Moore, Tammy Lynn, and Tony Owens; legendary New Orleans drummer Zigaboo Modeliste; New Orleans musician, producer, and session man Mac Rebennack (Dr. John); garage-mus ic pioneer Michael Hurtt; plus Wardell Quezergue' s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, an all-star ten-piece band led by Quezergue himself in a rare New York appearance .

July 16th (Midsummer Night's Swing):
Ponderosa Stomp: The Get Down

* William Bell - a principal architect of the Stax/Volt sound.
* The Bobbettes - girl group known as the ‘Har lem Queens' known for their hit, "Mr Lee"

* Bo-Keys - authentic, greasy Memphis soul stew w/ Stax Records stars
* Harvey Scales - a hard-hitti ng soul man, writer of  "Dis co Lady" and "Love-i-tu s"

July 17th (Midsummer Night's Swing):
Ponderosa Stomp: Best Dance In Town

* Joe Clay - New Orleans' proto-rock abilly genius, appeared with Elvis
* The Collins Kids - 50's TV faves, this brother/si ster duo features double neck guitar pyrotechni cs

* Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics - the nitro-char ged country and rockabilly specialist s

* Carl Mann - Sun Records artist had his first hit with Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa"

July 19th (Lincoln Center Festival): A Tribute to "The Creole Beethoven, "
Wardell Quezergue, celebrated New Orleans arranger and mastermind behind
countless rhythm and blues classics. On the bill:

* The Dixie Cups - hit makers who recorded classics, "Chapel of Love" and "Iko Iko."

* Jean Knight - New Orleans-ba sed singer of "Mr. Big Stuff."

* Tammy Lynn - soul singer and legendary background singer for the Rolling Stones, Dr. John, and countless others.

* Zigaboo Modeliste - New Orleans master drummer and member of funk originator s the Meters.

* Dorothy Moore - Malaco Records' soul/blues balladeer.

* Tony Owens - Lost soul king of New Orleans.

* Robert Parker - recorded his hit record, "Barefooti n'" with Querzegue

* Mac Rebennack - New Orleans musician/p roducer/ar ranger/ songwriter better known as Dr. John.

In addition to the stellar musical series the Ponderosa Stomp Concert is presenting with Lincoln Center, Stomp curator Dr. Ira "Ike" Padnos will join soul singer Tammy Lynn and trumpeter/ composer Terence Blanchard to discuss the fight to preserve art and culture in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Part of the Summer Scoops Live w/ the Wall Street Journal, the panel titled Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans is moderated by jazz writer Larry Blumenfeld . The Terence Blanchard Quintet will perform to conclude the evening. It takes place at the Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center on Wednesday, July 15th at 7:30pm.

Ticket informatio n HERE.

All that alliterati on aside, moe.down should be a major throw-down .

By Blurt Staff

The Tenth Annual moe.down will be held September 4, 5 and 6 at the Snow Ridge Ski area in Turin, NY. moe.down has become known as Upstate NY's most musically diverse festival. moe. will perform a total of six sets throughout the weekend. A limited number of tickets are available at $105 until they are sold out or until July 17th. Go to http://www .moedown.com for up-to-the- minute informatio n and to purchase tickets.

moe. has finalized this year's line-up: moe., CAKE, Umphrey's McGee, Method Man and Redman, Ani DiFranco, Matthew Sweet, Sam Bush, The New Mastersoun ds, Ominous Seapods, The Heavy Pets, Okemah, Nate Wilson Group, Family Groove Company, Lynch, My Dear Disco and The London Souls.

Over the past nine years, more than one hundred bands have performed at moe.down, including The Flaming Lips, Perry Farrell's Satellite Party, The Roots, The Levon Helm Band, They Might Be Giants, Meat Puppets, Medeski Martin & Wood, Matisyahu, Blues Traveler, The Presidents of the United States of America, Fishbone, Leo Kottke, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Nellie McKay, Cracker Van Beethoven, David Grisman, and Les Claypool.

The moe.down festival promises three days of music, camping and fun at the Snow Ridge Ski Area in Turin, NY. The site is about an hour northeast of Syracuse, at the edge of the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. Ski lifts will be open, so bring your mountain bikes!

For the last eight years, members of the band have hit the greens with friends and fans for the annual moe.down Charity Golf Outing. The event takes place at the Turin Highlands golf course and has raised almost $25,000 for various charities.

moe.down will also feature a Kids' Tent on Saturday and Sunday from 12 - 4 that promises to entertain even the toughest critics! This year's Kids' tent theme is "Mexico" in honor of the moe. song. There will be parades, crafts and activities for the youngest moe.rons and their caregivers .

Joey Ramone, like Elvis, is still everywhere .

By Fred Mills

You've heard that they're filming a biopic of The Runaways, right? Directed by Italian photograph er and videograph er Floria Sigismondi (who?), it stars Kristen Steward and Dakota Fanning as Joan Jett and Cherie Currie plus a buncha actors and actresses nobody's ever heard of - although the preliminar y IMDB entry for it also lists Tatum O'Neal as Marie Harmon (!), so we'll see...

At any rate, word arrives that St. Louis-base d Living Things portray the Ramones!

In the scene, which is shooting this month, the Ramones are playing at Rodney Bingenheim er's notorious English Disco nightclub in Los Angeles circa 1975. Living Things have already recorded a cover of "We're A Happy Family" for the scene. 

Er, well, the band looks nothing like the Ramones of course. Or do they? You decide - comparing the photo above with the Marc Bell-era band pic here, well, there are some comparison s to be made. Not the Tommy Ramone era lineup, however, which would b the 1975 time frame. But we'll allow they do deliver the garage punk goods, so full speed ahead.

 "I love Joey Ramone," said vocalist Lillian Berlin. "He is like the Elvis of punk. It's a mystical, exotic vacation to step into his shoes for a moment." 

Fun fact: the band's handlers advise us that "In addition to having a useful resemblanc e in attitude" - note they are waffling on the physical resemblanc e thing too - "to the punk progenitor s, the band has a direct line into the production - Berlin is the husband of the film's writer and director Floria Sigismondi ."

Ah. That explains it, then. All together now, kids: Ch-ch-ch-c h-ch-CHERR Y BOMB!

 UPDA TE: Blurt's very own Professor Jud Cost writes in to clarify some erroneous informatio n contained above - which, we should add, came directly from the Living Things' handlers, so clearly the band, the filmmakers and everyone else involved needs to spiff up on their Ramones history.

Observes Cost, "Having them playing Rodney's English Disco [in 1975 is factually inaccurate ].  I guarantee they didn't come west for their first gigs until the summer of '76. I know because I was there (not at their LA debut, but at the show in San Fran the next week, at a tiny little joint called the Savoy Tivoli}. Dunno if this is a fact-check ing problem with the boneheads doing this misinforme d film, but the boys were still getting a toehold at Max's and CBGS's in '75. Since you can't ask Joey, Johnny or Dee Dee, I'll have to do as your next best source."

Amen.

Hillage on board this time too. The, er, FOURTH part of the ‘Rad io Gnome' trilogy. Mathematic s aside, pretty cool.

By Blurt Staff

Psychedeli c/Prog pioneers Gong issue a new album, prophetica lly titled 2032 (the year 2525 was already taken, presumably ), on September 21. Released on Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy's subsidiary G-Wave label, the album is officially released two months before Gong's UK tour which kicks off at the Bristol O2 Academy on Nov. 19.

Described as "exhilarat ing, compelling and other worldly," 2032 also markes a reunion: it's the first time guitarist Hillage has recorded with original Gong founder Daevid Allen, since 1974's You album. (Pictured above is the band in '74, in fact.) 2032 is a new installmen t that continues Gong's famous ‘Rad io Gnome' album trilogy which includes the milestone psychedeli c progressiv e rock albums - Flying Teapot (1973), Angel's Egg (1973), and You (1974).

The line-up on the album includes Daevid Allen (guitar, lead vocal): Steve Hillage (lead guitar), Gilli Smyth (Space Whisper and poetry), Miquette Giraudy (synthesiz er), Mike Howlett (bass), Chris Taylor (drums), and Theo Travis (sax and flute). Special guest performanc es on selected tracks include former Gong member Didier Malherbe (soprano sax, duduk, and flute) and Yuji Katsui (electric violin) of the Japanese progressiv e/psychede lic jam band Rovo.

"2032 is when Planet Gong makes full contact with the Planet Earth; a major new chapter in the continuall y evolving Gong mythology, " says Daevid Allen.

And who isn't all about evolving mysteries? Welcome back, Gongsters!

Insound.com and Richard Hell give the Voidoids' second album a makeover.

By Blurt Staff

Nearly thirty years after punk rockers Richard Hell and the Voidoids delivered their second album, Destiny Street, and almost fifteen years after it was reissued, Hell and Insound.com have given it a spit-shine .

In a press release, Insound says Hell was “dis pirited by the ultimate recording& rdquo; of Destiny Street. “At the time of the original recording I was so debilitate d by despair and drug-need that I was useless,&r dquo; says Hell. “The record ended up being a high-pitch ed sludge of guitar noise. It was a shame because the songs were clean, simple, and well-const ructed, but those values were sabotaged by the inappropri ate arrangemen ts and production .”

The platter was frequently bootlegged and downloaded for “yea rs in the nineties and early 21^st Century&rd quo; until Hell reacquired the rights in 2004 and deliberate ly let it go out of print. It was upon finding a two-track recording of the original rhythm tracks that Hell decided to use them to realize his vision of what Destiny Street could have been. “I couldn&rsq uo;t resist trying to use them to fill and patch up the sinking feeling that the thought of the record had always produced in me.” Hell tracked new vocals, did some editing, recruited Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell and Ivan Julian to supplement Robert Quine&rsqu o;s original guitar parts. Naturally, Insound.com says “the updated version&he llip; manages to surpass the original in almost every way.”

On September 1, Insound.com will issue Destiny Street Repaired on digipak CD and as a signed, numbered limited-ed ition (1,000-cop y) deluxe vinyl/CD version including a two-sided 18” x 24” color poster featuring a Roberta Bayley photo (from the session that produced the album&rsqu o;s original cover) and art by Josh Smith that incorporat es Hell&rsquo ;s liner notes. The deluxe version CD will include two bonus tracks from 1979: the never-befo re-release d “Smi tten&rdquo ; and extremely scarce “Fun hunt.” For both editions, renowned Scottish artist Jim Lambie retooled the original cover art. For more informatio n, visit Insound.com and RichardHel l.com.

Destiny Street Repaired Credits

All rhythm tracks by: Robert Quine, guitar; Naux, guitar, Fred Maher, drums; Richard Hell, bass. Produced by Alan Betrock at Intergalac tic Studios, NYC. Engineer: Jay Burnette. Recorded 1982.

All lead vocals by: Richard Hell. All solos and additional guitar by: Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, Ivan Julian. Produced by Richard Hell at Hal Willner&rs quo;s House of Knuck and John Kilgore Sounds and Recording, NYC. Recorded 2008-09, NYC, Engineer: Patrick Ford. Recorded 2009.

Limited-ed ition single “Per petual Motion Machine&rd quo; due July 21.

By Blurt Staff

Greedy little vinyl grabbers take note: the third platter in Modest Mouse&rsqu o;s single series, “Per petual Motion Machine,&r dquo; comes out July 21. It’l l be red, individual numbered (to 4,000) and backed with “His tory Sticks to Your Feet.” The songs, for those of you who don’ t like to play your vinyl, you can buy the songs on iTunes. Starting today, smart shoppers can hear before they buy by going to a website whose name cutely fits the title of the A-side. On Thursday, you can find the B-side at the devil's music blog. Hit www.recordstor eday.com for a list of brick-and- mortar retailers that will carry the single or pick it up here.

I And Love And You drops Sept. 29; NPR plays it a week early.

By Blurt Staff

Wanna hear the Avett Brothers&r squo; new album I And Love And You early without giving into Satan and just downloadin g it? Or at least look like you’ re doing the right thing? Tune into NPR (more specifical ly, click on www.npr.org/firstl isten) on Sept. 22 and they&rsquo ;ll play the whole damn thing for you. Or if you’ re into teasin&rsq uo; yourself, sit on your hands ‘til Sept. 29, then get on down to participat ing Starbucks locations in the U.S. and Canada and get two fixes at once.

Now, this ain’ t no Starbucks exclusive; it’s just funny that this is the first retail location mentioned in the press release. Didja ever think you’ d be nostalgic for a time when new albums were available in record stores?

Think about it like this. Not only are you competing with a bijillion other musicians out there --- both establishe d and off the couch --- but now, thanks to Twitter and Facebook (MySpace is soooooooo last century) you're competing with my mom. Seriously. If her micro-blog ging content is more compelling than yours, you're screwed.

After all, fans are semi-limit ed. There's only so much room we have in our hearts. And only so much time in the day. And only so much money to give/spend . And we are hella choosy [...]

Hungover and shoppin' in  Disn eyland with Thoroughly Modern Minnie.

By Coco Hames

I don't know how I could get so drunk sipping wine with civilized adults at Jem's dad's 60th birthday party in California .  Ever ything is fine, I am behaving and engaging in fine, normal conversati on with the elderly, and then, bam.  Blac k-out drunk.  I woke up on the couch.  Not where I belong. &nbs p;I am hungry, but all I can do is scowl at the refrigerat or, and think vaguely of fish tacos.  I had some Sprite and am now fadoodling around the Internet, Googling Macau, and pretend shopping.

Pretendsho pping  ;is g oing  on fa ncy w ebsites&nb sp;and&nbs p;selectin g eve rything&nb sp;I  think  ;should&nb sp;be  ;in m y war drobe. &nbs p;If  I had  a&nb sp;wardrob e, th at is , and  not& nbsp;a&nbs p;battered  roll ing s uitcase&nb sp;which&n bsp;acts&n bsp;asclos et, m edicine&nb sp;cabinet , lib rary  and g eneral&nbs p;store&nb sp;(Oxford  comm as... I&nb sp;don't&n bsp;use&nb sp;them,&n bsp;I  ;don't&nbs p;think).  One time I so thoroughly pretend shopped that the total was $22,000.  It was a lot of stuff, but stuff I'd use.  Real ly good boots, high quality sweaters, etc.  And then, you know, a puce Alexander McQueen ball gown fashioned entirely out of feathers.  

I do not enjoy shopping, as in regular-st yle shopping, as in going to the mall or trying on clothes.  I get VERY tired, very quickly.  I am far too sensitive for shopping.  All the marketing ads, the colors, the shapes, the chaos.  Pass .  I do my shopping safely from my computer.  And then, bonus, stuff arrives in the mail for me!  Chri stmas!&nbs p;

There is a song that always pops into my head when I must consider replacing worn out sailor shirts and ripped up jeans.  I'm pretty sure the song is called "Shoppin'" but I'll have to look it up.  It's from 1987's Totally Minnie, a piece I remember being a television special?  Not a movie, not a series, just a one-off Disney thing?  I guess it's pretty obscure, but I think I remember owning a VHS copy of it?  Or one that we'd taped from TV?  Here 's what I remember: the main character is the lead nerd guy from Revenge of the Nerds, Susanne Somers is involved, and Elton John does "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" with an animated Minnie Mouse.

Here is how Totally Minnie writer Joie Albrecht describes it on imdb.com:

"This live action film features a Nerd who, in desperatio n, goes to the "Minnie Mouse Center for the totally un-hip". There he learns how to dress, dance, and most importantl y - be himself. The film features an original music video with Minnie Mouse, in new animation, integrated into live action footage with Elton John singing "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart."

Anyway, the number that goes down in "Shoppin'" (which I'm watching on YouTube right now) is exactly how I feel if I ever have to go shopping.  Insa ne.  Stuf f and stuff and crazy girls going crazy everywhere .  And the song, by the way, makes no sense to me.  It didn't in 1987, and it doesn't now.  Not lyrically, not musically, not structural ly, no way, no how.  "Sho ppin'" helped me learn how to shop like "Donald in Mathmagicl and" helped me learn math.  In that, it didn't.  At all.

Interestin g piece of trivia:&nb sp;It was during the recording session of this special that Wayne Allwine&nb sp;(Mickey 's official voice since 1983) met his wife, Russi Taylor&nbs p;(Minnie' s official voice since 1985).  That 's cute and you know it.  Aw, Wayne Allwine passed away just recently, in May.  R.I.P. and sincere condolence s to Russi.  Oh my God, Russi and I have the same birthday!  And Wayne's is the same as my mom's!

Now I'm just clicking on everyone who was in Totally Minnie.  Peop le are so weird.  Peop le, not me.  This is a perfectly acceptable way to fight a hangover, a completely reasonable expenditur e of my time.

***

Blurt "co-co-edi tor" Coco Hames fronts The Ettes - Hames on guitar, Jem Cohen on bass and Poni Silver on drums - whose album Look At Life Again Soon and EP, Danger Is, were released by Take Root. Their new Greg Cartwright -produced album Do You Want Power hits stores Sept. 29, and you bet we're gonna have a big feature on the band in our next issue!

Running amuck (adrift, actually...) in the magical Land of Oz with a big-boobed , coke-sniff in' bimbo and assorted loonies.

By Johnny Mnemonic

I am a man adrift.

Prior to my current existentia l state of affairs, however, I was a staff writer for what I presume most people considered to be highly-reg arded national music magazine. I hasten to emphasize my phrasing being in the past tense, as the publicatio n recently folded, the victim of all those things you've been reading lately, with alarming frequency, about music magazines (and the print world in general). I won't bore you with all the mundane details of my dismissal and its demise - yet - other than to say the basic law of the jungle was in effect: if a business ceases to continue making money, and this goes on for month after month despite (or owing to) the regular influx of meddling new investors, hapless new editors and inane new marketing strategies , etc., soon enough, something' s gotta give.

Ergo, I am a man adrift, with no immediate, regular source of income. I will certainly be offering up my freelance skills to other highly-reg arded national music magazines, perhaps even the one whose website you are reading this very moment, but the terms "freelance writer" and "regular income" remain mutually exclusive. So while I drift, in between resume-mai ling, LinkedIn networking and Velvet Rope-lurki ng, in order to keep my mind from atrophying from a steady diet of satellite TV and internet porn I've accepted an invitation from the editors of Blurt to author this blog.

"Music Journalism 101" is to be part-memoi r, part-expos é and part cautionary tale. On that first count, I'll draw upon my experience s as a music writer and introduce you to assorted denizens of the musician community ranging from the sweet to the sour, from the supremely gifted to the astonishin gly clueless, and from the types who help make the world a better place with their artistry to the walking/ta lking chunks of human feces who in a sane, just world would be lined up next to a mass burial site in some godforsake n corner of what used to be Yugoslavia and summarily shot and tossed into the pit. As far as the expos&eacu te; part is concerned, don't necessaril y take that term literally (don't want to get your hopes up), although I will be tugging the curtain back to give you glimpses of what goes on in the lives of music writers, their editors and publishers , their peers and significan t others, their hookups and drug dealers, etc. Just to give you a teaser: for a week in 1989 I joined the touring entourage of a former college rock band-turne d-MTV-darl ing - for the purposes of this blog, I'll refer to them as "Dream Response" - in order to do an on-the-roa d profile. This gave me access to the after-show activities , although there was an unspoken understand ing that I'd use discretion in reporting any behavior that might prove upsetting to the quartet's fairly vanilla fanbase, or for that matter, to the members' wives. From the band's point of view, that unspoken understand ing probably served them well when it came time for me to file my report. I quite diligently did not recount the scene in which I wandered into one of their hotel suites' bathrooms only to find the lead singer - let's call him "Frothy Bryson," after his unnerving habit for literally foaming at the mouth in the middle of one of his onstage "poetic" rants - ankle-deep in the chunky, dark-haire d, big-boobed local radio personalit y who'd turned up at the show to record station I.D.s and was invited to stick around for the party. After a few healthy toots of Peruvian weasel dust and three or four stiff vodka-and- 7-Ups, she'd apparently been ready to take more than just airchecks from the group. I can still hear her horsey-lik e, pack-a-day wheeze of a laugh (how do these obnoxious gals get their radio gigs? oh, right...) as she was grabbing for the straw... and if I squint my mind's eye just right, I can still see - no, please God, not again - Frothy's hairy, boil-studd ed ass.

But don't think that life in the music journalism business is a merry old yellow brick road stroll into the Emerald City, where vials of coke dangle from trees like sugarplums and nubile munchkin lasses beckon seductivel y from shop windows like Amsterdam hookers. This is where the cautionary tale aspect comes in. "The biz" has a boundless supply of headaches, frustratio ns, diva- and asshole-li ke personalit ies, and just out-and-ou t lunacy, not to mention a deadeningl y mundane side to it (you know, hours upon hours trapped in a cubicle pounding away at a keyboard while your head pounds from all that free booze you swilled the night before at the Metallica album listening party at Arlene's Grocery). It's not all that different from used car sales, actually. So my hope is that after reading this blog, at least one aspiring music journalist out there, having gotten a sense of how the sausages are made, so to speak, will plot a beeline straight to his or her college counselor and switch majors to, say, Astronomy, or perhaps Botany - any discipline where one's native talents can be nurtured and turned into a bankable commodity in the employment marketplac e. Because if you believe being a rock critic is a viable career path, I have some stock shares in Madoff, Inc. I want to sell you. At this juncture in life, it's probably too late for me, but it's not too late to prevent one of you from making a huge mistake. Don't wake up one morning to learn that the business you've chosen to work for is sinking faster than a GM truck with cinderbloc ks chained to each axle, and that you have no tenure, no seniority, no job security, no marketable skills, no nothing, really, plus the additional stress of a pending loss of health insurance benefits when your COBRA coverage expires. Now's the time to consider that offer from your father about taking up the family business, in other words.

Above I mentioned that the editors of Blurt invited me to become one of their bloggers. Technicall y, I approached them with the idea. (I could swear I detected a shrug on the other end of the telephone, but as the answer was "sure," that's good enough for me.) Still, my ego can only take so much battering in a compressed period of time - losing that highly-reg arded national music magazine gig and all - so it does me good to create this fantasy in my mind that my arch prose remains in demand by my peers and, hopefully, will be admired by Blurt readers. I may be a man adrift, but that doesn't mean I can't still spout off with the best of ‘em.

My friends tell me I'm actually quite good at spouting off, especially after a couple of whiskey sours. (I know, I know, a girlie-gir l drink, but - and here's the first of what will be many fascinatin g insider tips from the world of music journalism - you can casually sip whiskey sours all night without getting too plastered, which greatly enhances your chances of getting some juicy backstage or behind the scenes stories, since the bands themselves tend to really bring it on, post-gig; I think we already covered that part three paragraphs earlier.) I promise to write most of these entries in a relatively sober state of mind, of course. Well, that is unless I feel, in the interests of accurately recounting some of those juicy stories culled from my fabulous career in music journalism , I simply must recreate the semi-sober state of mind I was experienci ng at the time of the original incident.

Did I mention that my friends also tell me I have a pretty fucking spot-on memory? I may be a man adrift. But I know where the bodies are buried.

Guarantee: many of the names, places and entities outlined in this blog will be changed to protect the innocent along with the not-so-inn ocent. And also to ensure I don't burn so many bridges I can't get hired again by some highly-reg arded national music magazine. Not that there are any left.

***

Johnny Mnemonic is the pseudonym of a "highly-re garded" national writer with, he advises us, over two decades' experience working as a music critic, reporter and editor. We've never met him face-to-fa ce, and he further advises he will be delivering his blogs to us via the "double blind drop-box method," whatever that is, to ensure his anonymity.

Julian Casablanca s of The Strokes is wrapping up his debut CD of eight songs "Phrazes for the Young. The eight-trac ks on the album with named such as "River of Brake Lights" and "Ludlow Street" were recorded in just over 12 months at studios in LA, New York and Nebraska (really!).

Check out the sound at &l t;juliancasa blancas.com and watch for news about an upcoming tour:    &nbs p;

Influentia l Chicago punks return with singles series, eye tour and new album.

By Blurt Staff

Influentia l Chicago punk rockers Naked Raygun announced today that they&rsquo ;ll enter Transient Sound studios in their hometown to track new material. The songs&mdas h;the band&rsquo ;s first new stuff since 1997 when they issued the anthology- plus Last of Demohicans —wil l be pressed for a singles series.

The band&mdash ;the final pre-breaku p roster of drummer Eric Spice, bass player Pierre Kezdy, guitarist Bill Stephens and vocalist Jeff Pezzati&md ash;origin ally reformed in Fall 2006 for Riot Fest in Chicago. The show&rsquo ;s success prompted them to continue. At a recent two-nighte r at the Chicago House of Blues, they played their first new songs in seventeen years to the delight of the crowd. In press release speak: “&he llip;[the songs were] met with a reaction of surprise and elation from the slam dancing crowd&hell ip; [and] embody the classic ‘Chi cago Sound&rsqu o; that Naked Raygun first defined more than twenty years ago.”

The songs will be among those released in the 7” series, put out on Riot Fest Records, who eyes a tentative Fall 2009 street date. “Onc e the 7” series ends Naked Raygun plans to hole up in their rehearsal space for a while then re-enter the recording studio to track their first proper LP since 1990&rsquo ;s Raygun, Naked  Raygun.” The band will tour the East Coast in September, for the first time in two decades Philadelph ia’s Paint It Black and Chicago band Shot Baker will open." And naturally, Naked Raygun will headline Riot Fest 2009 in Chicago this October, along with peers and old friends Rights of the Accused, No Empathy and Wax.

Naked Raygun East Coast Tour

September 9, 2009

The Mideast (Cambridge , MA)

with Shot Baker

September 10, 2009

First Unitarian Church (Philadelp hia, PA)

with Paint It Black, Shot Baker

September 11, 2009

Ottobar (Baltimore , MD)

with Paint It Black, Shot Baker

September 12, 2009

The Music Hall of Williamsbu rg (Brooklyn, NY)

with Paint It Black, Shot Baker

September 13, 2009

Maxwell&rs quo;s (Hoboken, NJ)

with Paint It Black, Shot Baker

And dat's some fine shit, too.

By Blurt Staff

Seems like.... well, not yesterday, more like last year, when we got advance CDRs in of the new Kid Sister album. We even assigned a review, and got the review in - it was called Dream Date. Then Downtown pushed the release date back... then back again... then the label finally told us, "We don't fucking know!"

Now it seems that Kid Sister has overhauled the album and had set an Oct. 6 release date. Don't hold us too that, please. But below you can read what Downtown and the Kid have to say about it. Meanwhile, what are those advance copies going for on eBay right now, hmmm? We know none of you ethically- minded journalist s out there would try to sell yours, now, would you?

***

When Kid Sister (aka Melisa Young) turned in her album, originally titled Dream Date, in September of 2008, she pulled a daring move and asked Downtown to hold off on releasing it.

"There were a few things about the album that irked me...the album wasn't cohesive", Young told Pitchfork in an interview earlier this year. Downtown allowed her some time to make the album what she wanted, and she went back to work with executive producer A-Trak and the rest of the creative team behind Fool's Gold. The result is the stunning Ultraviole t.  The album is a landmark, merging electronic music and club rap in ways that have never been done before. The album includes production by some of the most sought after, cutting edge producers working today (including A-Trak, Rusko, Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso, Sinden, XXXChange, Brian Kennedy, Herve, Yuksek and DJ Gant-Man) who all seem to have recognized the talent and star power that also motivated Kanye West to collaborat e with her on 2007's Pro Nails single, helping in part to create the deafening buzz that surrounds her now. The album is 12 songs deep, with each track being mixed seamlessly into the next, creating a continuous mix of songs that contain an innovative approach to their perfectly honed pop sensibilit ies.  The final result of Kid Sister's signature effervesce nt rapping style with these innovative producers will cement her debut release as one of the most talked about this year.


Tracklisti ng:

1. Right Hand Hi
2. Life On TV
3. Daydreamin g
4. Let Me Bang 2009
5. Big n Bad
6. Pro Nails (feat. Kanye West)
7. Step (feat. Estelle)
8. Switch Board (feat. DJ Gant-Man)
9. Get Fresh
10. 53421
11. You Ain't Really Down
12. Control

We think an intern wrote that header...luckily we have an MP3 below for you to ease the pain.

By Blurt Staff

The Knife is back. Everyone's fave Nipponese- rockers is set to drop a new album, Super Group, on August 25 via Good Charamel Records. You know the back story - they formed in Osaka circa '81, and then somehow in the early ‘90s their naïf- pop, girl-group -goes-Ramo nes sound was discovered by legions of American hipsters and before you know it they'd toured with Nirvana and played Lollapaloo za.

Since the original member and bassist Atsuko moved to Los Angeles and left the band, Naoko and Etsuko played with support bassists.  On the new album Super Group, support bassist Ritsuko has joined the band as an official member.  Now Shonen Knife has become a 3 piece band again and a super group was born.

In 2007, they released an album fun! fun! fun! in Japan.  Since then, they've spent very busy days playing lots of shows, they enjoyed a North American tour, recorded a cover song for an AC/DC tribute album and played at many internatio nal rock festivals.  In 2009 Shonen Knife signed a deal with Good Charamel Records (www.goodcharam el.com ) to release Super Group to the fans in North America!&n bsp; Tours of Europe, Australia and North America will follow the release of the new Super Group CD.

MP3 - "Super Group"

The concept of Super Group is to "go back to the starting point of ROCK", says the band.  All the lyrics on Super Group are written in English.  The first song "Super Group" is very punk pop like the Buzzcocks.  "Muddy Bubbles Hell" and "Pyramid Power" taste like Heavy Metal.  "BBQ Party" starts with a Jonathan Richman like intro and transforms into punk rock.  The harmony at the last part of "Na Na Na" is very cute.  The last song is a cover of Paul McCartney and the Wings song "Jet", the Shonen Knife version is very fun and very ROCK. The North American CD release of Super Group features exclusive cover artwork and the bonus track, "Evil Birds". 

"This album makes everybody happy," we are advised. We at BLURT are already happy just thinking about it.

Tracklisti ng:

01. Super Group
02. Slug
03. Muddy Bubbles Hell
04. Deer Biscuits
05. BBQ Party
06. Pyramid Power
07. Time Warp
08. Na Na Na
09. Your Guitar
10. Jet
11. Evil Birds (bonus track)

New website launches to gear up for Sept. release of the book about Merge Records' history.

By Fred Mills

It's called Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, The Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small, and it's due in September from NC's Algonquin Books. It's more than just a label profile - it's like a secret (well, at times not-so-sec ret, as anyone who remembers the big media assault on Chapel Hill in the early/mid ‘90s will recall) history of indie rock, loaded with enough colorful characters to fill a loony bin, folks like Superchunk , Polvo, Magnetic Fields, Spoon, Arcade Fire and Lambchop, not to mention intimate portraits of the Merge crew themselves (the photos of Laura as a goth chick and Mac as a dreadhead are worth the price of admission alone).

Written by John Cook along with Laura and Mac, the book is essential reading for anyone who passionate ly cares about indiedom, and certainly about the North Carolina music scene, which arguably would look a helluva lot different if Merge hadn't come along when it did. I've always kicked myself for moving out west just as the Merge, uh, machine was kicking into high gear, but since I worked as a buyer for an indie record store in Tucson throughout the ‘90s I was not only able to keep up with the scene from afar but could make sure that my local friends and peers were privy to the tunes.

I read the book a couple of weeks ago and we'll be featuring it soon in BLURT of course. Hands down, it's one of the most engaging reads I've had the pleasure to enjoy lately; it's almost as if it's like MY story and YOUR story as well as the Merge story, if you, like me, often lived vicariousl y through some of those records the label released and the artists it nurtured.

To lead up to the publicatio n, the label and the book publisher have teamed up to create a special website devoted to the book, OurNoiseTh eBook.com. It's got everything from basic details about the book and the official press kit to PDF samples of the actual pages from the book and an amazing interactiv e timeline of the label featuring mouth-wate ring reproducti ons of record sleeves, gig posters and even embedded videos (the clip for Superchunk 's "Watery Hands" featuring David Cross and Janeane Garofalo remains one of the funniest in the universe). You can also sign up to a mailing list that will register you to take part in an online chat with Mac and Laura close to the publicatio n date.

Seriously, check it out (it was designed by the mighty Steve Pilon of Code 18 Interactiv e, incidental ly). I've been giggling for the past hour looking at it. And I've already read the damn book!

Er, you sure Rashid ain't gonna get sued by the most litigious musician in the universe?

By Blurt Staff

Awesome! We have been lookin to marry some of our spare form and function this summer, and now we know exactly where to spend that stock dividend cash that just rolled in.

First up is something vaguely geared to the 25^th anniversar y of Prince's Purple Rain, and while it looks NOTHING like a bed to us, more like a USB thumb drive after a growth spurt, we'll still give it, um, a test drive. Then there's the so-called "comeback" of the futon (funny, we bought one in 2003, but hey...), as well as a line of beds that celebrate Woodstock! Don't forget to look under the mattress where the designer has secreted, in 100 random beds, a stash of brown acid! All the Baby Boomers on the BLURT staff are just itching to "stage a come-back in the bedroom," so read on...

***

Familiar moments for many Baby Boomers are staging a comeback in the bedroom!!& nbsp; Among the highlights of the Baby Boomer bedroom are:

Purple Rain Bed - Noted designer Karim Rashid is celebratin g the 25^th anniversar y of the movie/soun dtrack of many Boomer lives - Prince (the Artist)'s "Purple Rain."  The new Glow Bed from Hollandia Internatio nal was the hit of this spring's Salone Internazio nale del Mobile furniture show in Milan.  Glow Bed marries form and function, enticing the imaginatio n with clean lines, creative materials and lots of high gloss. It also boasts Baby Boomer must-haves like an iPod docking station, cabinet doors that swing out to create side tables and hidden storage drawers.

Futons...are back!!  The popular all-functi onal futon of the 1970s has made a comeback.  Leading the return of the futon is Gold Bond, America's leading manufactur er and exporter of futons.  Just recently, futons have gone completely organic and come in 350 fabrics and countless designs!&n bsp; And, in these challengin g economic times, similar to the 1970s, cost-consc ious consumers are seeking value, quality and versatilit y.

Woodstock - Has it been 40 years already?  A new line of Italian-ma de beds celebrates Flower Power, Peace, and Free Love, uniting message, research, technology , and design.  The mattresses are set to debut August 15, marking the moment when Richie Havens took the stage to sing "High Flyin' Bird."

***

OMG, the last part is brilliant. THE EXACT MOMENT? Why not the moment Pete Townshend smacked Abbie Hoffman off the stage during the Who's set? Or when Grace Slick gave the crowd a peek at her tits? Or maybe even when that festival worker was cleaning out the porta-john s? (Well, that part was in the movie at least...)

Hollandia Internatio nal/Karim Rashid are on the web....

"Purple Rain" video:

Check out Yorke's version of the Miracle Legion song at the link below. ML video at the bottom.

By Blurt Staff

In our main feature today we talk about tribute albums and included a mention about the upcoming Mark Mulcahy/Mi racle Legion trib, Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy The latest news is that it's due Sept. 29 from Shout! Factory and includes an all-star lineup that is guaranteed to make it sidestep the "tributes suck, dude" syndrome. Dig it: Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Dinosaur Jr., Mercury Rev, The National, Frank Black, Vic Chesnutt, Frank Turner, and Josh Rouse, among others. (In addition, a further 20 tracks, from artists such as A.C. Newman, Buffalo Tom and Laura Veirs, will be available digitally.)

Stereogum has an advance peek at Yorke's contributi on, an absolutely jaw-droppi ng version of Miracle Legion's "All For the Best," which has long been one of BLURT's fave ML tracks dating back to when we used to see the band perform in the ‘80s .

Mark Mulcahy's wife, Melissa, died suddenly in September 2008, and proceeds from the sale of the album will go to Mulcahy to help him continue his music career while raising his 3-year-old twin daughters. To coincide with the release, there will be two concert events, one in London and one in New York, details TBA.

Seriously, Miracle Legion was one of the most riveting, passionate acts during the so-called "college rock" era, and folks who own their records, all of them long out of print now, have been diligently transferri ng them to CDR over the years and passing them around like holy grails. And Mulcahy's solo records are wondrous, joyful affairs, at turns quirky and intense and luminous and hilarious. He's a true American treasure. (If you go to YouTube, you'll actually find a lot of Mulcahy and ML content, though a lot of it is strictly audio with static images, not full-fledg ed videos.) For those not in the know, the backstory:

Mulcahy was the front man and main songwriter for alternativ e rock band Miracle Legion in the 1980s to mid 1990s. Mulcahy&nb sp;also&nb sp;fronted Polaris, the house band for the mid 1990s alternativ e television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1993-96) and perhaps best remembered for the song "Hey Sandy," which was featured in the opening credits of the show. Mulcahy has opened up for many notable artists, including Oasis and Jeff Buckley, and has received homage from Radiohead front man Thom Yorke, who dedicated a song to Mulcahy at a show in Boston . Nick Hornby wrote an essay on Mulcahy's song "Hey Self-Defea ter" (from the album Fathering) in his book 31 Songs.

Mulcahy released his latest album, In Pursuit Of Your Happiness, in 2005, to critical praise:&nb sp; The Sun called it "majestic, mind-blowi ng, quite marvellous -your happiness is assured if you purchase this record." "Terrific, " said The Guardian. "His third solo album opens wounds and plays with the patterns as the blood runs free." The Daily Telegraph said, "The songs are intimate, intelligen t, wise and melodic. But the really special thing is his voice: such range, such texture, such honesty-it 's gorgeous."

 Tracklist:

 01 Thom Yorke - "All For The Best"
02 The National - "Ashamed Of The Story I Told"
03 Michael Stipe - "Everythin g's Coming Undone"
04 David Berkeley - "Loves The Only Thing That Shuts Me Up"
05 Dinosaur Jr. - "The Backyard"
06 Chris Harford & Mr Ray Neal - "Micon The Icon"
07 Frank Black - "Bill Jocko"
08 Vic Chesnutt - "Little Man"
09 Unbelievab le Truth - "Ciao My Shining Star"
10 Butterflie s Of Love - "I Have Patience"
11 Chris Collingwoo d (Fountains Of Wayne) - "Cookie Jar"
12 Frank Turner - "The Quiet One"
13 Rocket From The Tombs - "In Pursuit Of Your Happiness"
14 Ben Kweller - "Wake Up Whispering "
15 Josh Rouse - "I Woke Up In The Mayflower"
16 Autumn Defense - "Paradise"
17 Hayden -"Happy Birthday Yesterday"
18 Juliana Hatfield - "We're Not In Charleston Anymore"
19 Mercury Rev - "Sailors And Animals"
20 Elvis Perkins - "She Watches Over Me"
21 Sean Watkins - "A World Away From This One"

Miracle Legion - "You're the One Lee"

Register by July 25 to win autographe d LPs and hand-drawn band art.

By Blurt Staff

If you head over to the BLURT contest kiosk between now and July 25 you can sign up for a shot at winning an autographe d copy of NYC's schizophre nic avant-pops ters Kiss Kiss just-relea sed sophomore platter The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left. Featuring sweeping synths and violin abetted by huge crashing guitar chords and an operatic, Queen-wort hy vocal attack, Kiss Kiss is already getting rave reviews for the Dan Goodwin (Norah Jones, Murder by Death) -produced album.

As one writer put it, "It would take pages to explain their now signature sound to you, but I'll paraphrase by saying: expansive. What may at first appear as an evolved rock act, transforms into a demonic circus in one minute and to a full blown piano based epic in the next."

So you'd be a chump not to jump on board while the band is still young so you later say you knew ‘em way back when. Kiss Kiss, who can be found at MySpace.com/kisski ss, is:

Josh - Synths, Guitar, Vocals
Rebecca - Violin, Vocals
Mike - Guitar, Synths, Vocals
Patrick - Bass, Vocals
Jared - Drums, Percussion

In addition to giving away five copies of the album, we also have ten hand-drawn cartoons (like the one shown here) by members of the group that are also up for grabs. While you're signing up for the contest drawing, you can also download a free MP3 of their single "Innocent I (The Corruption Of Self Through The Introducti on Of Naturally Existing Self Producing Chemicals) " - whew, that title will give your iPod display screen a workout!

[Photo credit: Jessica Dalene]

Bands include Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Local Natives, Catfish Haven, Mac Lethal, Paleo, Snowblink, Stranger Wave, and Caleb Engstrom.

By Blurt Staff

In just two short weeks, six Daytrotter alumni will go Barnstormi ng, setting off on a tour of select barns and attics in eastern / central Iowa (and Madison, Wisconsin - we just love that place!)

Looking back to heyday of rock and roll when no market was secondary, starting July 25th fans and music lovers in Daytrotter 's home state (and Wisconsin! ) will have the unique opportunit y to connect with some incredible acts in their small cities. It's an idea inspired by old show posters, featuring proof that the Dave Clark Five, Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones and the biggest acts of their day played in Iowa cities like Fort Dodge, Monticello , Spirit Lake and elsewhere.

Daytrotter hopes to start a new tradition of taking great bands to the small dots on the map where they'll be appreciate d for their raw emotion and talent, turning barns and rooms into magical spots for an evening.

One and all are encouraged to attend and caravan with the tour; grilling with, camping out, and staying at the same campground s and bed and breakfasts as Daytrotter and the bands. It will be five days that no one will soon forget.

All shows are all ages and FREE. Donations will be gladly accepted.

Daytrotter goes Barnstormi ng:

July 25
11 am -- Davenport, Iowa: Morning performanc e at the Bix 7 road race course at the turnaround : 110 McClellan Blvd. (Performin g -- Local Natives)
6 pm -- Maquoketa, Iowa: BARN Show #1: Biehl Farm, 3437 288th Ave. (Performin g -- Local Natives, Catfish Haven, Caleb Engstrom)

July 26
6 pm -- Bellevue, Iowa: BARN Show #2: Mooney Hollow Barn, 12471 Highway 52, Green Island, Iowa www.mooneyholl owbarn.com
(Performin g -- Local Natives, Snowblink, Paleo, Catfish Haven, Stranger Waves)

July 27
6 pm -- Madison, Wisc.: Attic show #1: 212 S. Henry St., Madison, Wisc. (Performin g -- Local Natives, Catfish Haven, Snowblink, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin)

July 28
6 pm -- Iowa City/West Liberty, Iowa: BARN SHOW #3 at the Secrest 1883 Octogonal Barn, 5750 Osage St., West Liberty, Iowa; (Performin g -- Local Natives, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Snowblink, Mac Lethal)

July 29
6:30 pm -- Coon Rapids, Iowa: BARN SHOW #4, Whiterock Conservanc y, Riverhouse Barn, 1313 Fig Ave., Coon Rapids, Iowa - www.whiterockc onservancy .org (Performin g -- Local Natives, Snowblink and Mac Lethal)

Everything from Alice Cooper to Faith No More, from the Eagles to Hootie, from the Doors to the Replacemen ts, from Van Halen to X -  some even come with picture sleeves.

By Blurt Staff

After its 1949 debut, the 45-rpm vinyl single went on to revolution ize the way people listened to music, both literally- requiring adjustable -speed players-an d figurative ly-introdu cing a global audience to the simple, yet profound joy that comes from playing a favorite song over and over. As the single turns 60 this year, history repeats itself. Digital bytes have replaced vinyl grooves, but the love affair with the hit song continues. As last year music fans downloaded more than a billion tracks; the most ever.

To celebrate the milestone, Rhino will spotlight songs originally issued on 45 by offering them as RHINO DIGITAL 45s, bundled with their original B-sides and artwork. Original picture sleeve art will be included when available and original label art will be used for all others. The first group of RHINO DIGITAL 45s will be available July 14. iTunes will feature a total of 60 digital 45s, including six exclusives . These will be featured in iTunes Digital 45, which showcases these new digital bundles inside the iTunes store. Among the iTunes exclusives are several singles featuring B-sides making their digital debut including "Take It Easy"/"Get You In The Mood" by the Eagles, "Kiss"/"Lo ve Or Money" by Prince & The Revolution , and "Whip It"/"Turn Around" by Devo. The remaining 54 singles will be available at all digital retails outlets. Each following month, Rhino will release a new batch of 25 digital 45s to all partners. For more informatio n, please visit www.rhino.com/Digita l45.

The first group of RHINO DIGITAL 45s features a total of 31 tracks making their digital debut including Jackson Browne's "The Crow On The Cradle" (B-side of "Somebody' s Baby"), Morrissey' s "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" (B-side of "Suedehead "), and James Taylor's "I Can Dream Of You" (b-side of "Shower The People). Other digital debut highlights include tracks from The Cars, Talking Heads, and Pretenders as well as single edits, radio mixes, and live versions from The B-52s, Deep Purple, The Doors, Faith No More, and Yes. &nbs p; RHINO DIGITAL 45s will be available from all DSPs for list prices of $1.49 and $1.99. Downloads from iTunes will include a bonus PDF containing the original picture sleeve or label art.

The RHINO DIGITAL 45 marks the return of the B-side. With the "plug side" of a single the focus of a record label's attention, its reverse allowed artists a chance to stretch their creative legs. B-si des were an opportunit y to show listeners who only knew the hit that a band had more than one trick up its sleeves (Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" and The Doobie Brothers' "Black Water," among others, were originally issued as B-sides). And while most hits also appear on artists' albums, the "non-LP B-side" was often unavailabl e to all but the most loyal fans and hardcore collectors , until now.

RHINO DIGITAL 45

First 60 Singles

a-ha   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  "Take On Me"/"Love Is Reason"* ^#

The B-52's&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; "Love Shack"(edi t)† /"Channel Z"*

The Blues Brothers&n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; "Soul Man"/"Excu sez Moi Mon Cherie"*&d agger;

Jackson Browne&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "Somebody' s Baby"/"The Crow On The Cradle"&da gger;*

The Cars   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  "Let's Go"/"That' s It"&dagger ;

Chicago&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; "You're The Inspiratio n"/"Once In A Lifetime"

Alice Cooper&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "School's Out"/"Gutt er Cat Vs. The Jets"*

Collective Soul   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "Shine"(ra dio edit)&dagg er;/"Breat he"

Crosby, Stills & Nash   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "Southern Cross"/"In to The Darkness"*

The Cure   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  "Just Like Heaven"/"B reathe"* ^#

Damn Yankees&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "High Enough"&da gger;/"Pil edriver"

Deep Purple&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  "Smoke On The Water"/"Sm oke On The Water"(edi t)†

Devo   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "Whip It"/"Turn Around"&da gger; ^#

Doobie Brothers&n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; "What A Fool Believes"/ "Don't Stop To Watch The Wheels"*

The Doors  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "Light My Fire"&dagg er;/"Cryst al Ship"

The Dream Academy&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; "Life In A Northern Town"/"Tes t Tape No. 3"† *

Eagles&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "Take It Easy"/"Get You In The Mood"&dagg er; ^#

Eagles&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "Hotel California "/"Pretty Maids All In A Row"

En Vogue  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; "Free Your Mind"&dagg er;/"Just Can't Stay Away"&dagg er;

Erasure&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; "A Little Respect"/" Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor"&dag ger;*

Faith No More   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "Epic"(rad io remix Edit)&dagg er;"Edge Of The World"

Foreigner& nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; "Urgent"/" Girl On The Moon"*

Aretha Franklin&n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  "Respect"/ "Dr. Feelgood"& nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; 

Genesis&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; "In Too Deep"/"I'd Rather Be You"*

Hootie & The Blowfish&n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; "Let Her Cry" (radio edit)&dagg er;/"Hold My Hand" (radio edit)

Hootie & The Blowfish&n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; "Time"/"On ly Wanna Be With You"

INXS   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "What You Need"/"Swe et As Sin"&dagge r;*

Iron Butterfly& nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "In-A-Gadd a-Da-Vida" /"Iron Butterfly Theme"

Howard Jones  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "Things Can Only Get Better"/"W hy Look For The Key"&dagge r;*

KC & The Sunshine Band   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  "That's The Way ( I Like It)"/"What Makes You Happy"

Los Lobos  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; "La Bamba"/"Ch arlena"*

Steve Martin and The Toot Uncommons& nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; "King Tut"/"Sall y Goodin"/"H oedown At Alice's"*

Edwin McCain&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; "I'll Be"/"Grind Me In The Gears"&dag ger;

Bette Midler&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  "From A Distance"/ "One More Round"

The Monkees&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ;  "Daydream Believer"/ "Goin' Down"*

Morrissey& nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "Suedehead "/"I Know Very Well How I Got My Name"&dagg er;*

Orleans&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; "Still The One"/"Siam Sam"

Wilson Pickett&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; "Mustang Sally"/"Th ree Time Loser"

Pretenders  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; "Louie Louie"/"In The Sticks"&da gger;*

Prince & The Revolution  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  "Kiss"/"Lo ve Or Money"&dag ger;* ^#

Ratt   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  "Round And Round"/"Th e Morning After"*

Otis Redding&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay"/"Swee t Lorene" ^#

The Replacemen ts &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  "Can't Hardly Wait"/"Coo l Water"*

Rufus & Chaka Khan   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "Ain't Nobody"/"S weet Thing"(liv e)

Sam & Dave   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  "Soul Man"/"May I Baby"

Duncan Sheik  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; "Barely Breathing" /"Wishful Thinking"

Sister Sledge&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "We Are Family"/"E asier To Love"&dagg er;

Skid Row & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "Youth Gone Wild"/"Swe et Little Sister"*

Rod Stewart&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "Forever Young"/"Da ys Of Rage"* ^#

Sugarhill Gang   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  "Apache"/" Rapper's Delight"

T.Rex & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ;  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "Bang A Gong (Get It On)"/"Raw Ramp"

Talking Heads  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "Take Me To The River"(edi t)† /

"Thank You For Sending Me An Angel"*

Talking Heads  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "And She Was"/"And She Was" (dub version)&d agger; ^#

James Taylor&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "Shower The People"(ed it)&dagger ;/"I Can Dream Of You"&dagge r; &n bsp;   

Travis Tritt  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "T-R-O-U-B -L-E"/"Lea ve My Girl Alone"

Van Halen  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "Jump"/"Ho use Of Pain"*

X &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "Wild Thing"&dag ger;/"Devi l Doll"&dagg er;

X &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "4th Of July"/"Pos itively 4th Street"&da gger;*

Yes & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  "Roundabou t"(single edit)&dagg er;/"Long Distance Runaround"

Dwight Yoakam&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; "Guitars, Cadillacs" /"I'll Be Gone"

†Av ailable digitally for first time

*Includes Original Picture Sleeve Art

^#iTunes exclusive

Don't forget that frontman Ben Nichols is a BLURT contributo r, either!

By Blurt Staff

BLURT faves Lucero's sixth studio album and major label debut, 1372 Overton Park, is due October 6 on Universal/ Republic Records. Produced by Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem) and featuring horn arrangemen ts by legendary Memphis session player Jim Spake (Al Green, John Hiatt, Solomon Burke, Cat Power), the record marks a decided turn toward the Memphis soul sound that has long informed the band's records from afar. 1372 Overton Park follows the band's 2006 release, Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers, hailed by Pitchfork as "the best showcase for the band's taut dynamic yet."

The new album's name comes from the address of the Memphis loft in which all four band members lived, practiced and even recorded portions of their 2003 release That Much Further West (the history of the space itself is even more colorful-i n the `70s, 1372 Overton Park was a karate dojo where local resident Elvis Presley, among others, took lessons). Over recent years band members have gradually moved out leaving lead singer and guitarist Ben Nichols the sole resident of the space until word finally came down that the building would be sold and demolished . Almost as if marking the end of an era not only for the building but for the band as well, this record turns the page and signals a strong move toward the Memphis soul sound that has long served as an influence for the group. Nichols explains, "When [saxophoni st] Jim Spake put that first horn track down, we began thinking of the record as having a certain sound. We heard pieces of Memphis history being played over our songs and it floored us and we just went with it."

While 1372 Overton Park serves as a love letter to Memphis and its musical heritage, the band has far from abandoned the country/ro ck/punk influences that they've become known for over their previous five records and countless tour dates in front of rabid fans. "I think the fact that we don't claim a genre is very important to what Lucero is," according to Nichols. "There are too many rules in punk rock. Too many rules in country music. We're hard headed and...god damn if we don't do things the way we want to do them."

Playing between 150-200 live shows a year, Lucero has come to be known as much for their hard-touri ng work ethic as for their critically acclaimed records. In addition to his work with the band, lead singer Ben Nichols also released a solo record in early 2009 and co-stars in MTV's $5 Cover, a series about the Memphis music scene. Nichols also contribute s to a recurring BLURT feature called The Bully Pulpit - just do a search for his name on the site and you'll find his words of wisdom.

Unique grab-bag o' platters (and more) to accumulate over the course of the tour then given away to a lucky fan.

By Blurt Staff

Los Campesinos ! are about to hit the road on their first tour since finishing their upcoming album. To celebrate the tour they've decided to build the ultimate Los Campesinos ! fan's prize: a hand-picke d selection of records... Neatly packed in a durable tour-proof * box.

The band will be filming the box's travels across the tour, documentin g all the platters, from 7" to 10" to 12" and possibly even other formats (8-track, anyone?) and random memorabili a, that go in - be it a lucky find from a bargain bin, or a friend's band's signed pressing.

To win the box, you'll have to follow its travels, across the US and across the internet.

Gareth Campesinos explains all in a video at  http://www .loscampesi nos.com or you can view it below. Thus far, the following items have already been accumulate d for inclusion:

• Xiu Xiu/High Places 7″ Split (includes David Horvitz polaroid)
• Lovvers Laughing Man 7″
• Casiotone For The Painfully Alone Town Topic EP
• BARR The Song Is The Single 7″
• Miscellane ous Badges
• A couple of ‘Zin es. 

Tour Dates:

8/4/09 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
8/5/09 - Washington , DC @ 9:30 Club
8/6/09 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
8/7/09 - Indianapol is, IN @ Spin Nightclub
8/8/09 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapaloo za
8/11/09 - St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
8/12/09 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
8/14/09 - Austin, TX @ Emo's
8/15/09 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre
8/16/09 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse
8/19/09 - Albuquerqu e, NM @ Launchpad
8/20/09 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
8/21/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
8/22/09 - Pomona, CA @ Glass House
8/23/09 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar
8/25/09 - Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
8/26/09 - Visalia, CA @ Howie & Sons Pizza
8/27/09 - Ben Lomond, CA @ Brookdale Lodge Concert Hall
8/28/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival
8/29/09 - San Diego, CA @ Street Scene

* Los Campesinos ! make no guarantees that the box is actually tour
proof, and would hope that dents, scratches and general tampering with its
appearance would be part of its eventual charm.

First studio album in over five years en route... can we pray for a tour?

By Fred Mills

Among Australian rock aficionado s, the name New Christs is always reason for dropping upon one's knees to genuflect: the band, headed up by vocalist Rob Younger - ex-Radio Birman, of course and bassist Jim Dickson, were a mainstay of the Oz scene throughout the ‘80s , issuing a slew of classic singles along with their debut album Distemper.

And though the band had its hiatus periods, it never really went away even though members had various other projects they undertook, periodical ly resurfacin g and reaffirmin g what fans knew all along: there's rarely been a more powerful, gut-level punk/hard rock act to emerge from the country, and Younger in particular remains a charismati c, at time chillingly potent frontman.

So the good folks at Impedance and MVD Audio are set to release the band's latest, Gloria, the first New Christs studio set in over five years. It's due August 11. There have been a lot of lineup changes since the ‘80s , but for now the Christs seem to have settled in since 2006 with a stable roster: Younger (vocals), Dickson (bass), Stuart Wilson (drums), Dave Kettley (guitar) and Brent Williams (guitar and keyboard).

No immediate plans are for the band to tour the US but a European tour is a given as the band has always done well over there. When I interviewe d Younger a few years ago, he admitted that cracking the US market had been tough because it was so expensive for an Australian band to come to American and tour. And with the decline of college radio's influence over here in the aftermath of the alternativ e explosion of the early ‘90s , it had become even tougher to get a foothold.

Which means you, dear Blurt readers and New Christs fans alike, have a clear mission: buy the damn album and create a market for ‘em. Tell ‘em Uncle Freddie sent ya. Have a good weekend, Ozzers.

Check 'm out on the web for updates and song samples: www.myspace.com/theoff icialnewch rists

"Born Out Of Time" in Rome 2008:

'Cause collectors gotta have it ALL.

by Blurt Staff

Puerile pop punks blink 182 are getting into the action figure business-- but no, you won't be seein' signed, numbered, nekkid Mark Hoppus dolls on shelves. The band, with the help of the artist known only as Acorn, is makin' bunnies. Sadly, unlike real rabbits, they're not reproducin g in great numbers. The main wabbit, a 3-inch tall version "full of fury," will be available on blink's upcoming tour while supplies last. Another iteration, standing 40cm (why mix systems of measuremen t, guys?) or roughly 15.75 inches will be even more limited--t alkin' 250. You can almost hear blink geeks chanting, "Get the wabbit" like so many Elmer Fudds. Or would it be Elmers Fudd? Eh.

Iconic band appeared live at Washington DC's 9:30 Club last week; concert broadcast on NPR.

BY BLURT STAFF

Over in our koncert kiosk we've posted a review of Sonic Youth in DC July 7, along with a slew of awesome, exclusive photos. Check 'em out HERE.

Awesome song about everyone's favorite whiner.


By Blurt Staff


You know, a lot of ink is being wasted lately on Billy Corgan, from navel gazers pondering why he's still operating under the Smashing Pumpkins name despite him being the sole remaining original member to whether or not he's playing hide the salami with porn star wannabe Tila Tequila. Who gives a shit, really, however?


We say "feh" to all that - as does singer-son gwriter Stephen Lynch, who has written a song lovingly titled "What If That Guy from Smashing Pumpkins Lost His Car Keys?" You can listen to it HERE and decide for yourself if it's not the best Smasthing Pumpkins song Corgan's never performed.


Get viral, kids!

Surgery will also push back release date of new album.

By Blurt Staff

Adam "MCA" Yauch of Beastie Boys was diagnosed last week as having a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland. Luckily it was caught early and is localized in one area, and as such is considered very treatable. It will however require surgery and several weeks of additional treatment. Fortunatel y the cancer is not in a location that will affect Yauch's vocal chords. 

Beastie Boys have canceled all upcoming concert appearance s to allow time for Yauch's surgery and recovery. The release of the band's forthcomin g album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 will also be pushed back.  

Paraphrasi ng from a video statement on Beastieboy s.com, Yauch said, "I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we'll release the record and play some shows. It's a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because i was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later." 

BLURT wishes MCA a speedy recovery!

Those dates:

07/31/2009 - All Points West Festival - Jersey City, NJ

08/02/2009 - Osheaga Music & Arts Festival - Montreal, CA

08/06/2009 - Congress Theater - Chicago, IL

08/08/2009 - Lollapaloo za - Chicago, IL

08/30/2009 - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival - San Francisco, CA

09/24/2009 - Hollywood Bowl - Hollywood, CA

10/02/2009 - Austin City Limits Festival - Austin, TX

Hey - with all those cryogenics , it could happen! Plus, the band lost their third member a long time ago, so....

By Blurt Staff

Wow, what a difference a year makes - and a death. Seems like only yesterday classic rock artists were siccing their lawyers on contempora ry artists who they felt were ripping them off (see: Joe Satriani, Coldplay). And there's no question that the unreleased Michael Jackson song that recently turned up on the web, titled "A Place With No Name," is directly derived from soft-rock band America's 1971 hit "Horse With No Name." You can hear it, below.

Since it's not an official release (yet) we have no way of knowing whether or not any licensing fees have been paid to the song's original composers yet. However, rather than start jockeying for some scratch and getting the legal department in a dither, the other day the band's Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley released the following, rather magnanimou s, statement:

"We're honored that Michael Jackson chose to record it and we're impressed with the quality of the track.  We're also hoping it will be released soon so that music listeners around the world can hear the whole song and once again experience the incomparab le brilliance of Michael Jackson."

"Place With No Name" features a prominent sample of "Horse With No Name" and contains different lyrics that are in the spirit of the original.  "Michael Jackson really did it justice and we truly hope his fans--and our fans--get to hear it in its entirety.  It's really poignant," added Bunnell and Beckley.

Where da MO-nay, homes?

Punk rock and a rainbow flag: a conversati on with Pansy Division founder Jon Ginoli

Since the late 70's there have been endless debates about what is and what is not Punk Rock.

You could certainly argue that Punk Rock IS being openly gay in an all gay band in the early 90's and playing clubs through the South and Midwest, singing songs about hooking up with dudes. In comparison , putting on a dog collar and playing songs of rebellion inside NY's CBGBs doesn't seem all that dangerous.

For nearly 20 years, Jon Ginoli, founder of the world's first gay pop punk band Pansy Division, has been waving the punk rock flag high. The band has just finished a documentar y ("Life in a Gay Rock Band") and released their sixth album "That's So Gay," both on Alternativ e Tentacles. Ginoli also just wrapped up a book tour supporting his memoir Deflowered : My Life in Pansy Division, a frank and often laugh-out- loud look at the band's early days.

Ginoli took some time recently to answer a few questions, talking about everything from bad decisions to never fully being embraced by the gay community.

So what made you decide to finally write a book about your experience ?
The realizatio n that a lot of what seemed to be visible in the 90s was now becoming invisible and forgotten.
 
You touched on this a bit in the book, but looking back, what are your biggest regrets about the band and decisions you guys made?
When we stopped touring, we weren't making enough money to continue. I wished we had made the effort to get a new booking agent and tried to play more colleges, which paid better. It might have made it easier, but on the other hand it might have made us breakup. Who knows?
 
In the book, you mentioned the rainbow flag sticker you keep on you van, saying "even though we're not big fans of what the flag has become." Can you explain that a little?
There was a time, before the mid 90s, when companies and corporatio ns were afraid of being associated with gay events. Since then, they'll slap the rainbow flag to promote anything. So it's an acknowledg ment that progress is a double-edg ed sword.
 
You also talked about not feeling fully embraced by the gay community because you didn't listen to bad disco and Whitney Houston. Do you think the gay community has finally started to listen to better music?
Hell no!

If you were just now starting Pansy Division, how do you think the band would be received by the fans and the music business?
If we were starting just now it would be at a time when there were already lots of out queer musicians, so it would be completely different.
 
You talked a lot about the generosity of bands like Green Day. Do you still keep in touch with them?
 No, not directly, but I know how to get a message to them if I need to.
 
I know you just got back home, but what's next for the band?
We just did a tour of the East Coast and Midwest, and are doing the West Coast in September. At some point we'll start looking at songs for the next album. Since all four members live in four different cities on both coasts, it's a process.
 
 &nbs p; &n bsp;  &nbs p;
So you just finished the tour and the book, what's next for you specifical ly?
Good question! I quit my job to do months of my book tour and band tours, so I have to figure that out soon. What we do isn't a living; it's just a bit of money now and then.
 
So what have you been listening to lately?
 Jarv is Cocker, Bratmobile , Bruce Springstee n, The Shoes, Nick Cave, some old country, The dB's, ‘60s soul compilatio ns, ‘60s -era Bee Gees (pre-disco !), The Wave Pictures, Bunker Hill, Vampire Weekend, The Wipers. Among other things.



 

I'm a Baby Boomer.....not particular ly proud of that fact but it's the truth. I don't own a cell phone, hell, I didn't even know what a "blog" was until I started writing here. At one time I was young and idealistic ....now I'm old and realistic, the guy who embarrasse s his kids in front of their friends with "Dad Jokes", random references to Roky Erickson and stories of drugs and hitchhikin g. (That's right kids, I had to hitchhike to school in the snow...stoned....uphill....BOTH WAYS!!!).

So I thought I was going to impress the youngsters when I told them I was writing a blog for Blurt. I figured it would buy me a some credibilit y.....some skreet cred with the young'uns....after all this was Blurt, not some lame ass rag like Rolling Stone.. Instead I got "No one wants to read your old man stories"...and was dismissed as if I had just suggested we light sparklers for the 4th of July instead of setting off some M-80's. I'll show them, I thought....people will enjoy my old man stories....well, at least maybe some of the older folks will.  

I was wrong!

After 3 months of posting I have received two comments.....TWO.....to put it into perspectiv e during that same time I have received 5 solicitati on phone calls about buying funeral arrangemen ts, 7 notificati ons that I have possibly won money from the now deceased Ed McMahon and 3 traffic tickets!! TWO FRIGGIN COMMENTS!! And my kids are laughing their asses off. at me....."What you gonna write about this month Dad?"....."The time you saw Peter Townsend pass out while sucking his thumb?". It's become a standard joke in my home and I have to fight back!

So I asked my kids for some advice....what should I write about? "Do what Rolling Stone does, just write a scathing article about GWB or the Republican Party" they told me "People never get tired of bashing Conservati ves". Hmmm...how hard could it be to write about Sarah Palin having an IQ lower than an iceberg or why Donald Rumsfeld wears camouflage adult diapers. But then it hit me, this is a MUSIC blog, on a Music website, not KOS. So to tie it all together I decided to spout some embarrassi ng Dad jokes with that hip Rolling Stone political perspectiv e.


THE TOP TEN HITS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRA TION

10) "I Fought Al Gore, And Al Gore Won" The Chad Fuller Four

 9) "Cheney's Got A Gun" Aerosmith & Wesson

 8) "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" Al Queda & His Tali Band

 7) "Wipe Out" N. Ron Hubbard

 6) "Born On The Bayou" Katrina Backwater Survival

 5) "Getting Hot In Here" The Intergover nmental Panel On Climate Control

 4) "Papa Was A Skull & Bones" The Bohemian Temptation s

 3) "All My Lexus Are In Texas" The UAW Singers

 2) "Screwing Up The War" The Dick Armey

1) &n bsp;  "Mow The Lawn" The Bush Girls

Depicted in photograph er Lauren Dukoff's new book about Banhart and friends.

By Blurt Staff

As featured in the latest issue of BLURT and now reviewed in our Books section, Lauren Dukoff's outstandin g book Family chronicles the extended community that is Devendra Banhart. Intimate and candid (and some outrageous ly posed) portraits of Banhart, his band and associates , and numerous friends like Bat For Lashes and Ramblin' Jack Elliott comprise the 192-page volume. Check it out HERE.

Exclusive images from the 2009 World Beard and Mustache Championsh ips.


By Blurt Staff


Recognize those guys above? Not so fast - it might not be precisely who you think it is. But if you were at the 2009 World Beard and Mustache Championsh ips this past Memorial Day weekend up in Anchorage, Alaska, you might have done a double take. Frequently .


We sent our intrepid reporter Jonah Flicker to the land of Sarah Palin and he came back with what can only be described as a hirsute account - complete with photos, as you are seeing here. Check out Flicker's text HERE and meanwhile, enjoy our Gallery of Beards.

"We all love the salad dressing." - Drowning Pool, on Paul Newman


By Blurt Staff


When Chunklet's Bob Shriner set out to interview Stevie from Drowning Pool for the "Philadelp hia New Times," (aka the Philadelph ia Weekly), he didn't necessaril y have an agenda - but it's safe to say he wasn't exactly planning on asking the usual "how's the tour going"-typ e questions, either.


From 9/11 to Beau Bridges, from lasagna meals to Paul Newman, from performing for U.S. troops overseas to pondering what female actresses should play Drowning Pool if an all-girl biopic was ever filmed (hint: the cancer victim from Beaches, or perhaps Demi Moore in G.I. Jane, could handle the bald dude's role), it's all comedy gold. Check out the audio tape of the interview at the PW site HERE.


Now we've got to get ahold of the tape of Ed Condron's Kings of Leon interview that he conducted for BLURT last year, the one in which he feeds frontman Caleb Followill plenty of self-absor btion rope and Followill proceeds to hang himself real good. It was priceless....

August 7 show will involve artists and fans and raise money for Save The Music at the same time.

By Blurt Staff

Guitar whiz Kaki King has announced The Exhibition , an art project that involves 16 artists and random King fans taking an actual guitar and creating original visual pieces inspired by one of her songs. The project, which began this past spring, culminates on August 7th at Littlefiel d Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, at 7pm. The gallery is located at 622 Degraw Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues in the Gowanus/Pa rk Slope neighborho od.

Sprung from the idea of using paint to visually represent the wide range of movement of King's virtuosic guitar playing, The Exhibition has now grown to involve much more than just paint. Each artist/fan was given the blank canvas of a guitar to shape, break, build, and form around the theme of a King song of their choice.  Hailing from all corners of the United States, each artist has taken his or her guitar in wildly different directions that range from ant farms, to delicate etchings and even to creating an explosion! Many are also incorporat ing Kaki's hand movement into their design. One can follow their progress on the project's Facebook page (http://www .facebook.com/KakiKi ngTheExhib ition).

The gallery show will be a display of all the guitars and will include a unique performanc e by King herself.  She will take her iconic blue guitar, seen most prominentl y in the video for the song "Playing With Pink Noise," and will do a performanc e of the song with pink paint on her hands and fingertips . This is already an incredibly valuable guitar, and it will be auctioned off to benefit VH1's Save the Music, a charity dedicated to keeping music in schools so new generation s of musicians will continue to be born.  In addition, all of the guitar works will be for sale at a price set by each artist.

The entire show will be documented by a photograph er for posterity so people can get to experience the event online if they can't make it to the gallery. King's performanc e will take place approximat ely two hours after the opening of the show.

Buy early, get now, scoop up free swag, too. What's not to like?

By Blurt Staff

Word arrives from Matador Records (and thanks to Pitchfork for the tip) that Yo La Tengo's Popular Songs, due Sept. 8 and one of BLURT's Most Anticipate d Fall Releases, can net fans some bonus goodies if they act early.

By tapping the label's Buy Early Get Now program, consumers can nab a stream of the album a month early, plus LP and poster freebies. To wit:

Now in it's [sic] 8th incarnatio n, this version of BEGN features the following for advance purchasers of ‘Pop ular Songs' on double LP or compact disc:

- one of the above configurat ions, available for collection at a trusted physical retailer on September 8.
- the full album stream starting August 4, with exclusive bonus MP3s to follow.
- a vinyl LP featuring Yo La Tengo's Orginal Score from the Motion Picture "Adventure land"
- a poster (design TBD, but trust us, you'll be pleased).

So there you have it. Sounds like a swell deal to us! Meawhile, a fall tour has just been announced that will kick off September 15 in Vermont an stretch well into October all across the country, followed by a European trek.

Tour Dates:

9-15 Burlington , VT - Higher Ground
09-16 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theater
09-17 Washington , DC - 9:30 Club
09-18 Durham, NC - Carolina Theater
09-19 Atlanta, GA - Variety
09-21 Asheville - Orange Peel
09-25 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom *
10-02 Montreal, Quebec - Le National
10-03 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
10-05 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
10-06 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
10-07 Minneapoli s, MN - First Ave
10-09 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
10-10 Denver, CO - Ogden
10-11 Aspen, CO - Belly Up
10-12 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
10-14 Phoenix, AZ - Marquee
10-15 Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
10-16 San Diego, CA - Soma
10-17 Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theater
10-18 San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island Festival
10-20 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
10-21 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
10-22 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
11-05 Dublin, Ireland - Tripod
11-06 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC
11-07 Manchester , England - Academy 2
11-08 London, England - The Roundhouse
11-10 Bielefeld, Germany - Forum
11-11 Lueven, Belgium - Het Depot
11-12 Amsterdam, Netherland s - Melkweg
11-14 Copenhagen , Denmark - Gray Hall
11-15 Oslo, Norway - Cosmopolit e
11-17 Stockholm, Sweden - Kagelbanan
11-18 Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet
11-19 Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
11-20 Den Hague, Netherland s - Crossing Border Festival
11-22 Dusseldorf , Germany - Zakk
11-23 Berlin, Germany - Postbahnho f
11-25 Katowice, Poland - Hipnoza Club
11-26 Vienna, Austria - Arena
11-30 Paris, France - Bataclan

* with Black Lips

UK band beats out 2000 others to play huge event in Spain.

By Blurt Staff

We love a success or good luck story. BLURT faves Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle - our April "Best Kept Secret" winner, profiled HERE - recently won the Supajam competitio n which had been entered by more than 2,000 bands from across Europe. The band subsequent ly got to play at one of Europe's largest summer festivals - the FIB Heineken Festival at Benicassim in Spain, which took place last week, July 16-18.  They took to the stage Friday night when Kings of Leon headlined. Other headliners include Oasis and The Killers.

Interestin gly, he band heard that they had reached the final five only to discover that the night earmarked for a final 5 playoff at London's renowned Pigalle Club in Piccadilly coincided with their lead guitarist being on holiday in France. They decided to take a massive gamble and moved their bass guitarist to lead, keyboardis t to bass and drafted Mackey's boyfriend (a drummer!) in on keyboards. After some fairly tense rehearsals , they headed off to Lo ndon for the playoff.

Sounds like all the strategizi ng paid off. Salute!

No, not as in "get him out of prison" (which opens up a whole other area of pondering...) - as in "music that you can have without paying for it."

By Blurt Staff

The tune is "Gravitate " and it's the first track Merge Records is unveiling from Lou Barlow's forthcomin g album Goodnight Unknown. As previously announced, the record drops Oct. 6.

Check it out: "Gravitate "

Meanwhile, Barlow will be touring this fall with the Missingmen as his backing band. He'll be opening for... himself! Or rather, for Dinosaur Jr

Tour Dates:

09.30.2009   Toronto, ON   Phoenix Concert Theatre  

10.02.2009 Cambridge, MA Middle East

10.04.2009 Clifton Park , NY Northern Lights

10.07.2009 New Haven, CT Toad's Place

10.08.2009 Washington , DC 9:30 Club

10.09.2009 Philadelph ia, PA Theatre of the Living Arts

10.10.2009 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall

10.11.2009 Pontiac, MI The Crofoot

10.13.2009 Madison, WI The Majestic Theatre

10.14.2009 St. Louis, MO The Pageant

10.15.2009 Chicago , IL Vic Theatre

10.16.2009 Louisville , KY Headliner' s Music Hall

10.17.2009 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse

10.26.2009 Kansas City, MO The Beaumont Club

10.27.2009 Omaha, NE Slowdown

10.29.2009 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater

10.30.2009 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre

11.03.2009 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre&nb sp;

11.04.2009 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern

11.05.2009 West Hollywood, CA House of Blues

11.07.2009 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom

Reportedly recorded version of the cult legend's Oar album.

By Blurt Staff

We already told you about how Beck has started what he calls a "Record Club" over at his Beck.com site - he hooks up with other musicians and cuts covers of other artist's iconic albums (such as the first Velvet Undergroun d record, from which the song s"Sunday Morning" and "Run Run Run" have already surfaced and are available for your listening pleasure at his site). He's also done acoustic versions of songs from his own Modern Guilt album.

Now word arrives, via Pitchfork, that his latest project is a collaborat ion with Wilco to record Skip Spence's classic album from '69, Oar. At the moment there are no details other than that last month they had a summit in an L.A. studio - keep your eyes aimed at Beck's site, as it's sure to yield some Spence gold soon.

AC/DC tour dates loom; record due on Sept. 15.

By Blurt Staff

Certainly one of the most feel-good rock n' roll comeback stories of recent times is that of Canadian heavy metal band Anvil. The band, considered a major influence for a generation of hard rockers including Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Guns N' Roses, was the subject of a critically acclaimed, must-see rock-doc, 'Anvil! The Story of Anvil,' directed by Sacha Gervasi. And in the process, the film has made the group (led by singer/gui tarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner - both founding members) a household name. But the group's story will certainly not end with the film.

First up for Anvil are U.S. shows opening for Aussie rock legends AC/DC - in football stadiums. We're really excited about these shows, we've only heard awesome things about playing in football stadiums. I was with the Green Day guys last night, and they were telling me, 'Man, it's probably going to be the gig of your life'!" The band plays July 28 in Foxboro, July 31 in East Rutherford and August 6 in New Brunswick, Canada.

And then on September 15, This is Thirteen will finally see proper national distributi on on CD and vinyl via VH1 Classic Records. The CD will feature the newly recorded, never-befo re released bonus track "Thumb Hang." The collectibl e double vinyl LP boasts newly re-recorde d versions of Anvil classics "Metal on Metal" and "666." The album, originally recorded in 2007 and produced by Chris Tsangaride s (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy), was primarily available directly from the band via their website and at their concerts.

"'This is Thirteen' is more like our first three albums," says Lips, "which represent our real identity. For many of our albums, we went on an 'integrity hunt' instead of on a 'commercia l/radio hunt,' so we became extremely inaccessib le to radio. This time, we stepped back and said, 'What were we originally ?' And we rediscover ed ourselves, I suppose." Reiner adds, "There are three tracks that in my opinion, are definitely , 100% AOR/hard rock/comme rcial radio tracks - 'American Refuge,' 'Flying Blind,' and 'Feed the Greed.' Catchy melodies, incredible drum feels - they just all rock."

The title track is about as classic Anvil as you can get - that slow, powerful, heavy backbeat with cool changes. The violent-so unding "Bombs Away" is, according to Reiner, "the almighties t metal track on the entire record," "Ready to Fight" is pure speed rock 'n roll - Nugent on steroids - that boasts super-heav y drumming, and "Big Business" is akin, musically- speaking, to Cream's classic "Sunshine of Your Love." And then there's the true classic, Anvil near-anthe m, "Shoulda' Woulda' Coulda'," that's about living life with no regrets.

Reiner points out that the input from acclaimed producer Tsangaride s (who produced early Anvil albums) was a major reason for This is Thirteen turning out the way it did. "The last four or five albums, material-w ise, were all similar. We had been trying to find the direction back to the classic Anvil style and sound - it's just that the production hadn't been up to scratch. Chris was a big missing part on our past albums."

Despite some zany Spinal Tap-like parallels between Anvil and David St. Hubbins and company in the film, Anvil has always been taken seriously by metalheads , including some very well known rock stars, who praise the band in the film. "Anvil was one of those bands that just put on this really amazing live performanc e," said Velvet Revolver/e x-Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, while Motorhead singer/bas sist Lemmy added, "They were a great band - I always liked Anvil," and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich gushed, "These guys were going to turn the music world upside down."

So, the AC/DC dates, the release of This is Thirteen, what else can fans expect from Anvil in the future? Lips was willing to provide a hint: "Working. More recording. More gigs. More - more than ever!"

We predict that you will fall asleep before reading this news item..

By Blurt Staff

Here at BLURT we get a lot of pitches from record industry folks - maybe something like 300 emails come in each day (not all of them come from needy, neurotic BLURT writers, in other words, if you catch our drift). However, we think this is the first time we've ever gotten a pitch from a publicist about a psychic. We can't decide if the email copied below is beyond the pale, or simply reason to crack open our sixth pale ale of the day....

Our question is: did the folks sending us the pitch know beforehand what we were gonna do with it? They're supposed to be plugged in with a psychic, after all. Wouldn't you hold off on pressing that "send" button if you already knew you would be publicly mocked?

BLURT: still dismissing silly p.r. pitches, one email at a time...

***

Dear Blurt,

Psychics are often consulted for advice on relationsh ips and careers. With the help of tarot cards, palm readings and extra-sens ory perception , many people believe these gifted individual s can tell them about their future spouse or upcoming promotion. These powers are greatly underestim ated as there are many other topics into which psychics can provide insight. In fact, here are 5 things you'd never think a psychic could predict:

* &nb sp; & nbsp; Medical diagnosis - An alternativ e second opinion

* &nb sp; & nbsp; Appropriat e timing - Understand ing the effects of WHEN an event occurs

* &nb sp; & nbsp; Potential investment s - Looking at the pros and cons of stocks, real estate, etc.

* &nb sp; & nbsp; Personal safety -  How future events can impact your life

* &nb sp; & nbsp; Family issues - Predicting the outcome of family illness, feuds, & future opportunit ies

Sherry Ward consulted a group of psychic individual s when doctors recommende d radical surgery for a potentiall y malignant mass in her kidney. Each believed the mass to be benign and further medical testing showed it was. Ward documents her journey and shares the special skills of seven masters of the metaphysic s in her new book, Seekers of the Soul.

Please contact me to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Sherry Ward. Further press materials below.

Best,

(name withheld to protect the guilty)

Self-title d album featuring James, Oberst, Ward and Mogis arrives Sept. 22.

By Blurt Staff

Monsters of Folk was born on the road five years ago when My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, and singer/son gwriter M. Ward toured together and regularly sat in on each other's sets.  Now armed with the eclectic and consistent ly striking songs that make up their self-title d debut album (due Sept. 22 on Shangri-La ), the illustriou s quartet will reconvene for a Fall tour.  The four members will be switching instrument s and trading roles throughout each show, maintainin g the freewheeli ng and highly collaborat ive spirit of their work together thus far.

On this inaugural tour, Monsters of Folk is partnering with Air Traffic Control, a resource for musicians' philanthro pic and social change work, to donate monies raised from ticket sales. The band will be donating $1 from every ticket sold on the tour to local non-profit s.

"On a daily basis, we see how hard organizati ons like these work to make our communitie s, country and world a better place." said Erin Potts, the organizati on's executive director.  "In a time when economic resources are harder to come by and organizati ons are overwhelme d by urgency and need, the Monsters of Folk tour's charitable activities are a significan t way to energize and support the tireless and often overlooked work that these organizers are doing." 

Pre-sale tickets for the US and Canada shows will be available beginning Tuesday, July 28, followed by the public on-sale beginning Friday, July 31.  Tick ets for the UK / EU shows will be available beginning Tuesday, July 27.  

For more info please visit www.monstersof folk.com.  For a complete list of charities and for more informatio n on Air Traffic Control, please visit www.atctower.net.

Tour Dates:

10/13: Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum

10/14: Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

10/15: Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre

10/17: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater

10/18: Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre

10/20: San Diego, CA @ Spreckels Theatre

10/21: Phoenix, AZ @ Orpheum Theater

10/22: Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl

10/28: Omaha, NE @ Holland Center

10/29: Minneapoli s, MN @ Orpheum Theatre

10/30: Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre

10/31: Louisville , KY @ Louisville Palace Theatre

11/02: Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall

11/03: Boston, MA @ The Orpheum

11/06: New York, NY @ United Palace

11/08: New York, NY @ Beacon Theater

11/09: Philadelph ia, PA @ Academy of Music

11/12: Stockholm, SE @ Philadelph ia Church

11/14: Berlin, DE @ Huxleys

11/15: Copenhagen , DK @ Vega

11/17: London, UK @ Troxy

11/18: Paris, FR @ Elysee Montmartre

11/19: Koln, DE @ E-Werk

11/21: The Hague, NL @ Crossing Border

11/22: Antwerp, BE @ Crossing Border

Busy guy issues latest album this week, aims for Sept. 8 for this third full-lengt h.

By Blurt Staff

Folk-punk singer-son gwriter Frank Turner will release his third studio album, Poetry of the Deed, on Sept. 8, via Epitaph/Xt ra Mile.  Already a household name in the UK, the troubadour has his sights set on winning over US fans with his ardent roots driven acoustic rock and relentless touring. His second album, Love Ire & Song,  issu ed last year in his home country, was released by Epitaph this week - read the BLURT review HERE.

With the help of Grammy nominated producer Alex Newport (Death Cab For Cutie, At The Drive-In, Two Gallants), Turner captures the essence of his fervent live show with Poetry of the Deed.  Powerfully candid and charismati c, Turner's hardcore roots shine through with fiery passion as he embarks on a lyrical journey of life experience s that speak to listeners with great honesty and authentici ty.

From the epic country-pu nk rambler "The Road," to the anti-folk manifesto "Poetry of the Deed," to the political rants of "Sons of Liberty" and the rousing punk anthem "Try This At Home," Poetry of the Deed establishe s Turner as one of the most inspiring and lyrically gifted songwriter s of the last few decades.

"Poetry of the Deed feels like a really important record to me," explains Turner.  "I feel like I've been rehearsing for this, working out what I wanted to say, for the past few albums, and now this is it, the definitive statement. It's also a massive thing for me to have an album being released internatio nally and through Epitaph to boot. It's my manifesto for living."

Afflicted by something akin to restless guitar syndrome, Turner has toured virtually non-stop for years, playing everything from massive festivals to crowded house parties, stopping only briefly for a week to record Poetry of the Deed.  His well documented performanc es and journeys capture the spirit of a legend in the making, reminiscen t to the heydays of folk inspired artists like Billy Bragg and Bob Dylan with crowds singing in union, drinks clinking with camaraderi e and Turner pouring his heart out on stage through his earnest lyrics and catchy guitar play.  After a recent stint opening for The Offspring, September can't come soon enough when Turner will return to the US on tour with Gaslight Anthem in support of the rousing Poetry of the Deed.

Critics first took notice of Turner's exceptiona lly captivatin g music at SXSW, his fellow musicians have known for years and US audiences will know soon. 

Tracklisti ng:

1. Live Fast Die Old
2. Try This At Home
3. Dan's Song
4. Poetry of the Deed
5. Isabel
6. The Fastest Way Back Home
7. Sons of Liberty
8. The Road
9. Faithful Son
10. Richard Divine
11. Sunday Nights
12. Our Lady Of The Campfire
13. Journey of the Magi

Frank Turner Tour Dates (w/The Gaslight Anthem):

9/13 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO
9/16 - House of Blues - San Diego, CA
9/17 - Henry Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
9/20 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
9/22 - Berbati's Pan - Portland, OR
9/23 - Showbox - Seattle, WA
9/24 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
9/26 - Edmonton Event Centre - Edmonton, AB
9/27 - MacEwan Ballroom - Calgary, AB
9/29 - Riddell Centre - Regina, SK
10/1 - Garrick Centre - Winnipeg, MB
10/3 - Epic - Minneapoli s - MN
10/4 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI
10/6 - St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI

Famed Kiwi rocker, of the Tall Dwarfs (pictured above), continues to improve following a stroke last month.

By Fred Mills

You've undoubtedl y heard that legendary New Zealand musician and Tall Dwarfs co-founder Chris Knox suffered a stroke on June 11 in Auckland. It affected his speech, language and right side of his body. Since then, the 56-year old musician's progress has been monitored in the media and signs have generally been positive.

What's more, folks have been lining up to pay their respects in a material way. On Monday night, MGMT did a deejay set in New Zealand as a benefit for Knox (the reunited Tall Dwarfs had been slated to open for MGMT at three concerts), and they additional ly have made an additional donation in the form of the fee he would have earned had the Dwarfs performed.

Then in the works is a tribute album, to be titled, ahem, Stroke, featuring Jeff Mangum, Superchunk , the Magnetic Fields, AC Newman, Will Oldham, Guided by Voices, the Mountain Goats, Jay Reatard, Yo La Tengo, Bill Callahan, Lambchop, the Clean's David Kilgour, Lou Barlow and possibly others.

Knox fans can keep up on his recovery via a blog that's been establishe d by his family. According to the most recent posting, "Chris has had a meeting with his therapy team today. He's getting more words back & can now stand unassisted albeit very briefly. Chris is in a good mood and his current favourite gags are pretending to be either catatonic or bursting into tears - still the attention seeker! He's also getting quite good at drawing with his left hand."

Which is fantastic news. Here's hoping Knox continues making progress - the man's given us tons of memorable music over the years and we want to his pick up where he left off as soon as possible.

You know the drill... taking our cue from Seth Godin with the idea that what unites us is more than music -- basically, if we share the same taste in music, we likely share the same taste in other stuff, as seemingly useless as it occasional ly may be. Hence, this month's compendium :

5 Freakin' Fascinatin g Ways to Waste Time at Work This Week

Oh, the painstakin g research that's gone into this. But really, every last one of these is worth the on-the-clo ck-dilly-d ally.

1. Auto-Tune the News

Prepare for your pretty little heads to be blown away. Seriously. Who has the time?



2. The Mystical Power of the Wolf-T

Lo and behold. It's more than just a T-shirt. Who knew? They could be onto something.

"I admit it, I'm a ladies' man. And when you put this shirt on a ladies' man, it's like giving an AK-47 to a ninja...." You know you want to read more. And you should. Be sure to scroll down to Customer Reviews [...]

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.

Directed by Paul Leeny & David Loom

Webb Wilder&nbs p; “Pre tty Is As Pretty Does&rdquo ; (Blind Pig)

Craft "ballsy pop" in the vein of their classic ‘80s sound.

By Blurt Staff

Simple Minds are back with their 15th studio and first new album in over 4 years on Oct. 6 - that's when Graffiti Soul drops from Decca/W14. A tour will follow.

Last year the Scottish group did a 30th Anniversar y stadium tour of the UK and mainland Europe, then they turned their attention to writing new material. "We only wanted to shout about our anniversar y on the understand ing that the new record would sound really fresh", said front man Jim Kerr, in a statement. "We wanted to make a full-blood ed record of ballsy pop songs; something that belied the fact we'd been together for three decades."

The album was produced by the band and Jez Coad, and was mixed by Bob Clearmount ain in Santa Monica, California .  The songs were written in Rome, Sicily, Antwerp and Glasgow, and the core line-up of Jim Kerr (vocals), Charlie Burchill (guitar, keyboards) , Mel Gaynor (drums) and Eddie Duffy (bass) recorded the material at Rockfield studios near Monmouth, Wales.

"We've had to overhaul the band in recent years, and this new record finally sees the full fruit of that", said Kerr. "From the band itself, to production , to outside writers we've got a great team now; people that are able to fill the boots of those who brought great things to Simple Minds in the past. If you really love music, you'll come back to it with a passion irrespecti ve of life's twists and turns. That's why I hope people get to hear Graffiti Soul - I think it's got legs."

Promises to be the definitive treatment.

By Fred Mills

It's always a great day when we've got some Scott Walker news to pass on. Sharp-eyed BLURT readers will have already glommed the review of the Walker DVD 30 Century Man in the latest issue of the magazine. Now arrives word of an in-depth biography en route from Jawbone Press on September 1.

Titled The Impossible Dream, it's written by Anthony Reynolds, who previously penned a Jeff Buckley bio, and it's being described as "the definitive telling" of Walker's story and the story of his ‘60s band The Walker Brothers - John Maus, Gary Leeds, Scott Engel - who of course had a slew of pop hits (notably the timeless "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore") prior to Scott veering off onto a near-mythi c solo path. Nowadays, of course, he's considered an alt-rock godfather, as compelling in his inscrutabi lity as he is inspiring as a songwriter .

According to the publisher:

Drawing on decades of archive interviews with the band (some previously unpublishe d), and many new interviews with backing musicians, record label staff and producers, The Impossible Dream is an in-depth biography that traces the career of one of the most successful bands in pop history. In addition to assessing and analysing the talent and appeal of the enigmatic Scott, the author also covers the history and contributi ons of the other 'brothers' , John and Gary, and provides a thorough analysis of all three men's careers both as individual artists and as a group, from 1963 to 1978.

Tellingly, there's no mention in the press materials with the book about Reynolds having conducted fresh interviews with the notoriousl y reclusive Walker. (Intriguin gly, however, he did sit for on-camera interviews in the aforementi oned film.) That said, while there are at least three prior Walker bios, this new one sounds exceedingl y promising.

Bad Seeds, Grinderman and Dirty Three all coalesce in the bloody, artful hands of the terrible twosome.

By Blurt Staff

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have been creating music together for more than fifteen years, with The Bad Seeds, Grinderman and The Dirty Three. More recently, they have collaborat ed on soundtrack s for such films as The Propositio n (2005) and The Assassinat ion of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007). White Lunar, a two CD set to be released by Mute on September 22, contains music they composed from the aforementi oned films, along with a selection of their cinematic scores, including rare and previously unavailabl e material.

Cave and Ellis' first soundtrack together was Australian director John Hillcoat's 2005 quasi-West ern, The Propositio n (for which Cave also wrote the screenplay ). The following year, the pair received a commission to compose the music for a film by another Australian director, Andrew Dominik's The Assassinat ion of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. By the time Dominik's film came out, Hillcoat had begun his adaptation of The Road (Cormac McCarthy's novel of a father and son's trek across a vast wasteland in the aftermath of global catastroph e); once again Cave and Ellis were invited to create music for the film. With The Road as yet unreleased , this album offers a rare opportunit y for a sneak preview of the soundtrack .

All three movies, with their epic landscapes and acutely incised psychology , find a correlativ e sweep and depth in the scores that Cave and Ellis have devised for them, and a poignancy that imbues the films with a timeless aura; the music from this triumvirat e is on Disc 1 of the 2 CD set. In addition to these large-scal e efforts, Cave and Ellis have also contribute d a resonant musical dimension to a pair of lesser known, but striking documentar ies, represente d on Disc 2.

In 2007, Cave and Ellis scored Geoffrey Smith's harrowing The English Surgeon, a film tracing Dr. Henry Marsh's struggle to bring neurosurge ry to post-Sovie t Ukraine. Amplifying the enterprisi ng doctor's frustratio ns and anxieties, his practical genius and ethical dread, the music sighs and whines like the surgical instrument s Dr. Marsh shanghais from the NHS. The Girls of Phnom Penh (2009), Matthew Watson's film investigat ing Cambodia's "virginity trade", describes a sorority of three young sex workers, struggling with degradatio n and poverty against Cave and Ellis' urgent sound-scap e of humid loops, serrated cymbals and geysers of steam.

Accompanyi ng the soundtrack s on the second disc are four pieces drawn from the Cave & Ellis archives, all named after craters: "Magma" is constructe d from a chorus of Warren singing a pitch-shif ted riff, "Zanstra" swarms like a storm of hornets besieging a submarine, "Halo" finds pastoral calm in the eager teeth of defeat and "Daedalus" rises sure as the sun, with dewy flute and fluttering piano motes, before a sudden fade. The sequence is conceived as a suite. "Listen to it as you might listen to an instrument al album" recommends Ellis, as "some kind of trip".

CD1 Tracks 5-11: from The Propositio n  
Soundtrack by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis.
Script by Nick Cave.  Film directed by John Hillcoat.

CD1 Tracks 12-17: from The Road
Soundtrack by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis.
Directed by John Hillcoat. Based on the book by Cormac MacCarthy

CD2 Tracks 1-3, 12, 15, 16: from The Girls of Phnom Penh
A film by Matthew Watson.

CD2 Tracks 6-11: from The English Surgeon
Soundtrack by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis.
Film by Geoffrey Smith

CD2 Tracks 4-5 & 13-14: from The Vaults
These tracks are from the Cave/Ellis vaults/arc hives

Actually, just an excuse  to post this cool animated gif... you know we at Blurt luvs ya, Anthony, and we have all your records!

By Fred Mills

See that bouncing ball, above? If you follow it closely, it'll lead you to the latest load of bullshit coming down the media pipeline. Seems the blogospher e is still all in a dither over that July 18 incident in Columbus at the Wexner Center for the Arts when Anthony Gonzalez, frontman for M83, "kicked and slapped" a member of the venue's security staff. The band's keyboardis t had essentiall y invited the audience to invade the stage as the concert neared its end, but after security began removing fans from the stage, in some instances pushing them off, vocalist Gonzalez took exception, told the fans to come back up, and then went ballistic on security.

You can view the YouTube clip of the incident, below.

Now, as anyone who's ever attended a concert can attest, venue security often has a tendency to err on the side of, ahem, overreacti on, and as there is typically a certain steroidall y-inclined mindset attracted to the concert security business anyway, when you have a stage invasion, you've got a recipe for disaster. 9 times out of 10, fans who jump up on stage at the behest of the band simply do so, dance around awhile, and in the process respect the wishes (and the property) of the band; if you've gone to a Girl Talk show, for example, you know what I mean. Unfortunat ely security goons tend to think that every time is going to be that 10^th time when something goes wrong... and respond accordingl y, cracking heads and more.

So Gonzalez was well within his rights to respond to the security personnel' s physicalit y with his own display of physical aggression . Eye for an eye, and all that crap.

Apparently Gonzalez' handlers have convinced him otherwise, as earlier today he was pressured into issuing a statement via his MySpace blog apologizin g for his behavior:

"I've been thinking about the events that happened at the end of show in Columbus last Saturday. Time and distance has given me the space to realize that my actions were clearly inappropri ate. I wish to emphasise that inviting the crowd on stage was in no way calculated but simply a result of being caught up in the intensity of the moment and essentiall y celebratin g what I believe had been a very positive and enjoyable performanc e for both the band and the audience. In retrospect though I understand why such actions were not the wisest and why the staff at the venue had requested me not to encourage the audience on stage. I sincerely apologize for the way I handled the situation, and in particular for trying to physically interfere with security staff at the venue who I fully accept were only trying to do their job of ensuring proper protection for both the band and members of the audience.

"My reactions in the heat of the moment have caused me much regret and once again I offer my sincere apologies to all persons concerned with the show and at the venue. I feel that it is important to issue a public apology as I do not wish my actions to be perceived as in any way as condoning or encouragin g aggressive behaviour."

WTF?!? "Caught up in the intensity of the moment"? What kind of cop-out is that? Aw fuck you, you pussy. Take your band of clowns and go back to France. Here, have a plate of freedom fries to help you on your way.

All this would be far more interestin g if M83 were actually a band anyone cares about. But the brand of fey, tepid synthpop it plays is about as cutting edge as mid-period Yes - and with none of the balls.

Arghhhh.... where's Limp Bizkit when we need them!?! Plus, Durst & Co. would really show security what being kicked and slapped feels like!

This editorial comes to you from the public service announceme nt... with guitars department . Have a nice weekend, everyone. Don't forget to taunt a security staffer or two when you hit the clubs tonight...

Kicks off with a pair of Symphony shows in October.

By Blurt Staff

Ray LaMontagne announced his North American fall tour schedule today, starting with two dates with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on October 15 in North Bethesda, MD followed by an October 16 show at Meyeroff Symphony Hall. Following the orchestra shows, LaMontagne 's next dates will offer a polar opposite experience in which the Maine singer-son gwriter will play stripped-d own solo acoustic shows, starting November 1 at Atlanta's Fox Theatre.

LaMontagne is also working with Tickets-fo r-Charity to offer fans a unique opportunit y to buy front row seats while supporting leading charities. A portion of each package purchased on Ticketsfor Charity.com will automatica lly benefit The National Children's Cancer Society plus up to three partner charities of the fan's choice.

This will not be the first time LaMontagne has played accompanie d by an orchestra; he recently appeared in front of a sold-out crowd earlier in July at the Hollywood Bowl with the Bowl's Orchestra.

The tour marks LaMontagne 's third tour in North America in support of his top 5 album Gossip In The Grain.

Tour Dates:

October 15 &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p; North Bethesda, MD &n bsp;  Musi c Center at Strathmore
October 16 &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p; Baltimore, MD &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
November 1 &nb sp;  &nbs p;   Atla nta, GA &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Fox Theatre
November 4 &nb sp;  &nbs p;   Bost on, MA &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Wang Theatre
November 7 &nb sp;  &nbs p;   Uppe r Darby, PA &n bsp;  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Tower Theater
November 9 &nb sp;  &nbs p;   New York, NY &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Beacon Theatre
November 12 &n bsp;  &nbs p; Chicago, IL &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    The Auditorium Theatre
November 13 &n bsp;  &nbs p; Minneapoli s, MN &n bsp;  &nbs p; &n bsp;    State Theatre
November 15 &n bsp;  &nbs p; San Francisco, CA &n bsp;  &nbs p;  Nob Hill Masonic Center
November 17 &n bsp;  &nbs p; Denver, CO &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Ellie Caulkins Opera House
November 20 &n bsp;  &nbs p; Los Angeles, CA &n bsp;  &nbs p; &n bsp;    Orpheum Theatre

New album due Sept. 22 features members of Fugazi, Godspeed, Silver Mt. Zion, etc.

By Blurt Staff

This fall Vic Chesnutt will embark on a six-week North American tour in support of At the Cut, the Athens, GA-based singer-son gwriter's latest effort. The touring band features Fugazi's Guy Picciotto and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Silver Mt. Zion, all of whom collaborat ed with Chesnutt on the new album which is out September 22 on Constellat ion Records. At the Cut is the follow-up to North Star Deserter, Chesnutt's 2007 collaborat ive recording with the same group, lauded by SPIN for "[turning] chronic disquiet into disturbing ly palpable dread-folk " and Pitchfork for "[sounding ] like a return to the dark woods after years in the city." Please see below for a complete list of tour dates.

Recorded by former Arcade Fire member Howard Bilerman at Montreal's Hotel2Tang o studio, At the Cut focuses on themes of cowardice, courage, mortality, tenacity, defiance, mourning and memory. The opening track, "Coward," was originally written for director (and Chesnutt collaborat or) Jem Cohen's Empires of Tin and premiered in a live performanc e by Chesnutt and his band at the 2007 Vienna Film Festival. Reflecting the broad stylistic range of contributo rs on the album, the songs on At the Cut span the musical spectrum from classic Vic Chesnutt solo acoustic tracks to the sweeping walls of noise and snarling, angular guitars trademarke d by his many collaborat ors. To be made available on CD and LP, the album's artwork features original and found photograph y by Jem Cohen.

Get a preview by checking out an MP3 from the album: "Chain"

In the 19 years since Chesnutt's debut album, he has made his mark by collaborat ing with a wide range of artists including Michael Stipe, Lambchop, Bill Frisell, Elephant Six mainstays Elf Power, Widespread Panic and the Cowboy Junkies. Hailing from rural Georgia and confined to a wheelchair since an automobile accident at the age of 18, Chesnutt has released 15 critically acclaimed records; been covered by a number of artists on the tribute album "Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation" including R.E.M., the Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna and Sparklehor se; was the subject of the 1992 PBS documentar y Speed Racer and appeared in the Oscar Award-winn ing film Sling Blade.

Tour Dates:

October 23  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Mave ricks  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Otta wa, ON
October 24  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Ukra nian Federation Hall  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Mont real, QC
October 25  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Somm erville Theater  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Camb ridge, MA
October 26  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Bowe ry Ballroom  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   New York, NY
October 27  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Musi c Hall of Williamsbu rg  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Broo klyn, NY
October 28  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Firs t Unitarian Church  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Phil adelphia, PA
October 29  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Otto bar  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Balt imore, MD
October 30  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Blac k Cat  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Wash ington, DC
October 31  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   The Soapbox  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Wilm ington, NC
November 1  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   The EARL  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Atla nta, GA
November 2  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   40 Watt Club  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Athe ns, GA
November 4  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Sout hgate House  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Newp ort, KY
November 5  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Linc oln Hall  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Chic ago, IL
November 6  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Detr oit Institute of Arts  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Detr oit, MI
November 7  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Lee' s Palace  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Toro nto, ON
November 19  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Ceda r Cultural Center  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Minn eapolis, MN
November 20  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   West End Cultural Centre  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Winn ipeg, MB
November 21  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Amig o's  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Sask atoon, SK
November 22  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   McDo ugall United Church  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Edmo nton, AB
November 23  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Knox United Church  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Calg ary, AB
November 25  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Rich ards on Richards  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Vanc ouver, BC
November 26  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Luck y Bar  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Vict oria, BC
November 27  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Croc odile  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Seat tle, WA
November 28  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Miss issippi Studios  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Port land, OR
November 30  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Grea t American Music Hall  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   San Francisco, CA
December 1  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   The Regent  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Los Angeles, CA
December 2  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Club Congress  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Tucs on, AZ
December 4  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Hail ey's  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Dent on, TX
December 5  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Cent ral Presbyteri an Church  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   Aust in, TX

Late ‘20s /early ‘30s recordings RIYL Charlie Poole... and who doesn't L Charlie Poole!

By Blurt Staff

Deep-diggi ng roots enthusiast s, your trove just got richer - or gets richer, come August 18. That's when Tompkins Square drops I'm Going Down to North Carolina: the Complete Recordings of the Red Fox Chasers (1928-31). These vintage recordings have been given the usual Tompkins Square TLC, from Christophe r King's remasterin g job to liner notes and track annotation s by "Back to the Blue Ridge" host Kinney Rorrer to eye-catchi ng packaging designed by Susan Archie.

Here's what you need to know:

The Red Fox Chasers, composed of neighbors Guy Brooks, Bob Cranford, Paul Miles and A. P. Thompson, recorded at the high water mark of the Golden Era of American Vernacular Music, 1928-1931. These recordings represent a unique and exciting blend of Appalachia n fiddle tunes & ballads, popular tin pan alley songs & Victorian sentimenta l compositio ns. Hailing from north-west North Carolina, the group assimilate d a "Galax fiddle-sou nd" with an intricate three-fing er banjo style that simultaneo usly evokes Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcaste rs and Charlie Poole.

One of the more prolific groups to record during this era, the Red Fox Chasers' material was particular ly well received in the Virginias and Carolinas. This collection is the first complete anthology of their work, with several of the tracks being reissued for the very first time. The Red Fox Chasers represent an idiosyncra tic slice of early Appalachia n music as it was captured commercial ly during the 1920s & 1930s.

Akron/Fami ly, Bonnie Prince Billy, The Books, Budos Band, Circulator y System, Mount Eerie, Espers, War on Drugs, Brightblac k Morning Light, Kurt Vile, Ice Cream, Jonathan Kane, Coathanger s, Villages, Steve Gunn, Floating Action...

By Fred Mills

Exactly a month ago we brought you word of the Harvest Records (well-rega rded Asheville, NC-based indie record store) 5^th anniversar y bash they're dubbing "Transfigu rations": a 3-day music festival featuring Akron/Fami ly (pictured) , Bonnie Prince Billy, The Books, Budos Band, Circulator y System, Mount Eerie, Espers, War on Drugs, Brightblac k Morning Light, Kurt Vile, Ice Cream, Jonathan Kane, Coathanger s, Villages, and Steve Gunn.

It takes place August 13, 14 and 15 and you can get the full details (ticketing , schedules, etc.) at the Harvest Records website, and check back often for updates as there have been several, since the initial announceme nt was made.

To wit:

-the label/fiel d recording panel discussion set for Aug. 15 has added Hisham Mayet of the Sublime Frequencie s label;

-passes at the early bird rate are all gone (dang!);

-Floating Action has been added to the Kurt Vile/Coath angers bill on the 13^th

^***

It all promises to be one of the summer's unparallel ed delights. Check out the shows, and be there or be square.

Grey Eagle, August 13: Kurt Vile, Coathanger s, Floating Action

Diana Wortham Theatre, August 14: Bonnie Prince Billy (solo), Espers, Brightblac k Morning Light, Steve Gunn

Grey Eagle, August 14: (late show) Budos Band, Ice Cream

Diana Wortham Theatre, August 15: Books, Mount Eerie, Villages

Grey Eagle, August 15: Akron/Fami ly, Circulator y System, War on Drugs, Jonathan Kane

Another high-profi le webcast and broadcast from the good folks at NPR Music.

By Blurt Staff

NPR Music will be live webcasting and broadcasti ng The Decemberis ts' performanc e at the Newport Folk Festival this Saturday, August 1, which will not be a rendition of recent album The Hazards of Love, but instead a special set for the festival. The band's performanc e and interview on World Cafe aired on July 24, and is now featured on the NPR Music website.

This will lead into a continuati on of the band's Hazards '09 tour, which recently added fall dates running through mid October. Those dates are:

Aug. 1 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Newport, RI &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Newport Folk Festival

Aug. 2 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Montreal, QUE Osheaga Music & Arts Festival

Aug. 3 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Toronto, ONT & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; Kool Haus (w/ Heartless Bastards)

Aug. 5 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Madison, WI &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Orpheum Theater (w/ Heartless Bastards)

Aug. 6 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Chicago, IL &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Metro (w/ Heartless Bastards)

Aug. 7 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Chicago, IL &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Lollapaloo za

Aug. 8 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Indianapol is, IN  &nbs p; &n bsp;    Murat Egyptian Room (w/ Heartless Bastards)

Aug. 10 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Louisville , KY  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  W.L. Lyons Brown Theater (w/ Blind Pilot)

Aug. 11 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Detroit, MI  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Royal Oak Theater (w/ Heartless Bastards)

Aug. 13 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Buffalo, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  UB Center for the Arts (w/ Heartless Bastards)

Aug. 14 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Pittsburgh , PA &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Byham Theater (w/ Heartless Bastards)

Aug. 15 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Schwenksvi lle, PA &n bsp;    Philadelph ia Folk Festival

Aug. 16 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Holyoke, MA &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Mountain Park (w/ Heartless Bastards)

Sept. 20 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Burlington , VT &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Flynn Theater (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 21 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Montclair, NJ &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Wellmont Theater (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 23 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Norfolk, VA &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; The Norva (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 24 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Charlottes ville, VA &n bsp;    Charlottes ville Pavilion (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 25 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Asheville, NC &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 27 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Nashville, TN &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Ryman Auditorium (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 29 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; St. Augustine, FL &n bsp;   &nbs p;  St. Augustine Amphitheat er (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Sept. 30 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Orlando, FL &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Hard Rock Live (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 2 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Houston, TX &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; House of Blues (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 3 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Austin, TX &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Austin City Limits Music Festival

Oct. 4 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Tulsa, OK &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Cain's Ballroom (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 6 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Lexington, KY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; University of Kentucky, Lexington (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 7 &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Columbia, MO &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Ninth St. Fall Fest (w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

Oct. 18 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    San Francisco, CA &n bsp;    Treasure Island Music Festival

Nov. 18 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  London, UK &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Forum

Nov. 19 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  London, UK &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Coronet

Release of four new songs to coincide with Fall tour.

By Blurt Staff

Acclaimed indie popsters the Pains of Being Pure At Heart are back with a new EP, Higher Than The Stars, four brand-new songs that should tide fans over who were smitten with by their self-title d debut, issued this past winter by Slumberlan d. (Reviewed HERE at Blurt.) The EP is due Sept. 22 on CD, 7", 12" and digital formats. Expect to hear the new material showcased on the band's fall tour, itinerary below.

Here's the scoop on the EP's tracks, courtesy the band's label:

"Falling Over" has also become a staple of the band's live sets and shows a new side of the band. A brooding synth-led tune that recalls New Optimist touchstone s like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, "Falling Over" is as yearning, lovelorn and dreamy as pop gets, and an excellent addition to The Pains' canon.

"Twins" turns up the fuzz, a mid-tempo rocker with a sing-along chorus and catchy-as- heck guitar lead as the hook. This is quintessen tial Pains of Being Pure At Heart -- slot it into a mix tape between Teenage Fanclub and an old Lilys song and you'll be happy as a clam.

"Higher Than The Stars" races along on arpeggiate d keyboards and quickly strummed guitars, a perfect pop nugget that could be ripped from Robert Smith's songbook. Its unstoppabl e energy is pure Pains, though, and we expect to see a lot of ear-to-ear grins when the band busts this one out on tour.

"103" has quickly become a favorite of the Pains' live set and it's easy to hear why. A fizzing slice of summertime noise-pop with all the melody, fuzz and fun you've come to expect from The Pains and a snazzy little stun-guita r solo to boot.

Meanwhile, also look for an exclusive limited edition 7" single on Sept. 8. The tracks are "Come Saturday" and "Side Ponytail."

Tour Dates:

July 23 2009 Backspace Portland, Oregon *
July 24 2009 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC *
July 25 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party Seattle, Washington
Sep 05 2009 Middle East Downstairs , Boston, Massachuse tts &+
Sep 06 2009 La Sala Rossa Montreal, Quebec &+
Sep 07 2009 Horeshoe Tavern Toronto, Ontario &+
Sep 08 2009 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois &+
Sep 09 2009 Stage Door at the Orpheum Madison, Wisconsin &+
Sep 10 2009 The Slowdown Omaha, Nebraska &+
Sep 12 2009 Monolith Festival Morrison, Colorado
Sep 13 2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah &+
Sep 14 2009 Neurolux Boise, Idaho &+
Sep 17 2009 MFNW / Doug Fir Portland, Oregon &+
Sep 21 2009 Casbah San Diego, California &+
Sep 22 2009 Club Congress Tucson, Arizona &+
Sep 24 2009 Lola's Fort Worth, Texas &+
Sep 25 2009 The Mohawk Austin, Texas &+
Sep 26 2009 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, Louisiana &+
Sep 27 2009 Club Downunder Tallahasse e, Florida &+
Sep 28 2009 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia &+
Sep 29 2009 Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina &+
Sep 30 2009 Black Cat, Washington DC &+
Oct 01 2009 Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland &+
Oct 03 2009 New York, NY Webster Hall &+
Oct 05 2009 First Unitarian Church Philadelph ia, Pennsylvan ia &+

* = w/ Girls
& = w/ The Depreciati on Guild
+ = w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars

ROAD-DOGS, HEAT, AND VINTAGE GEAR: Wiyos on the Dylan/Nels on/Mellenc amp Tour

By Carl Hanni

July 27, outside Duck, Outer Banks, NC: Leaving New York City four days ago in a driving rain, the signs of rock ‘n' roll start immediatel y, with billboards for Creed and AC/DC. If this is a signifier of some sort, it's a bit obtuse: we're off for 2 1/2 weeks of touring, and there will be some rock ‘n' roll, but little of the hard-rock varietal.

I'm here on a 17 day run with The Wiyos, NY-based vaudevilli an string band extraordin aire. They are booked to play 28 out of 33 dates as the opening act on the Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp summer tour, which started in Sauget, IL, July 2, and finishes in Stateline, NV, August 16. With a couple of exceptions , the tour is playing minor league ball parks/stad iums all across the country. I jumped on the tour five days ago, in Lakewood, NJ, and will ride it through the show in Dallas (really Grand Prairie) TX August 7, as Wiyos tour manager, publicist, merch wrangler and all-around boy-Friday . I'm delighted to be here in such fine company and out of my scorching home base of Tucson. Not that it's much cooler out here, as I soon realize...

The Wiyos played to a remarkably enthusiast ic bunch of die-hards the other evening at First Energy Park in Lakewood, bunched up in front of the stage trying for some respite from the downpour, faces framed by a rainbow coalition of colored ponchos and soggy cowboy hats. The Wiyos have 1/2 hour every tour stop, from 5:30 till 6 pm, to play, make new fans, greet friends from the stage and put in a plug for their new CD. Then there's a quick 10 minute turnaround before Willie Nelson takes the stage for an hour, followed by John Mellencamp , followed by Bob Dylan. The exact same routine every show, different venue, for 6 weeks. The whole production is as smooth and tight as a long-runni ng Broadway show or a military parade. This is a profession al operation in every possible detail.

After three shows (Lakewood, NJ; Aberdeen, MD, outside of Baltimore; and Norfolk, VA), truisms and patters quickly manifest. For one thing, the catering is incredible . Cast and crew are fed lunch and dinner every day, and it's had to overstate how great the spread is. Copious, endless amounts of tasty, healthy and inventive food, drinks and deserts appear twice daily, including fruit, cheeses, coffee and teas, soup, salads, cold drinks, multiple deserts, vegetarian fare, vitamin supplement s and more. I mean, really.

So far, the crowds have really been digging The Wiyos. They generally play to 600-800 concert-go ers in front of the stage, with thousands more filing in and spread around the bleachers. Most in the crowd may not know who they are coming in, but they sure do going out, and CD and t-shirt sales have been steady. The Wiyos, versed in everything from busking on street corners to playing to sit-down crowds in theaters, know how to work a crowd, and needless to say they are making the most of a fortunate situation that most other acts would love to find themselves in. They do what they need to do and what they have been hired to do: connect with the crowd and warm them up, give them a taste of what they are all about (think a 1930's vaudeville act crossed over with a modern take on old-timey music), then bust everything off the stage lightening fast and make way for Willie. Come back the next day and do it again.

For the most part everyone on the tour (to one degree or another) is friendly, helpful and supportive . Production and promotion staff, stage crews, sound and security are all working like clockwork. As the next act up after The Wiyos, we see lots of Willie's people, especially his stage crew and harmonica player Mickey Raphael, a prince of a guy. Members of Mellencamp 's and Dylan's band have been stopping by to chat and talk shop. The Wiyos definitely have a curiosity factor going for them: who are these young lads with the vintage clothes, washboard, standup bass, steel and resonator guitars?

Willie's show is as loose, casual and intimate as a camp-fire sing-along for 10,000 people. He plays the hits ("Crazy," "Nightlife ," "Whiskey River") and the crowd sings along and revels in his Willieness s. Willie Nelson occupies a completely unique space in the popular culture, and it is this: EVERYONE digs Willie Nelson. How does he do this, the great leveling of all the country into his corner?

Well, he's WILLIE NELSON, and no one else is. As has been pointed out over the years, he could probably run for president and win in a landslide.

John Mellencamp 's show is rocking. The volume goes up - way up - when he takes the stage, and all of a sudden we're at a rock concert. Girls in halter-top s and skin tight jeans suddenly appear, butts suddenly begin to boogie. This guy has enormous populist appeal, a bunch of hit songs that are also cultural signifiers , and an ace band. When he's not on stage he hangs out in his Airstream trailer (the one with the motorcycle in front) in the holding area in back.

I've only seen one entire Dylan show so far, in Norfolk. We watch the show with The Maybelles, friends of The Wiyos that appeared just in time for the beginning of his set. Bob looks incredibly natty in his tailored country gentlemen attire and white, flat-brimm ed hat. His band, a casually road-worn bunch of veterans, is almost as sharp in matching white jackets and black hats. Dylan's voice is somewhere between well seasoned, ragged and deliciousl y ravaged in a sexy, older guy kind of way. In Norfolk he kicked in with "Rainy Day Women # 12 and 35" from Blonde on Blonde; in Aberdeen it was "Leopard-S kin Pill-Box Hat" from that same joyful record from 1966, a good sign for sure. Tonight's songs run from older numbers like "Highway 61 Revisted," "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Like a Rolling Stone" to more recent ones like "The Levee's Gonna Break" and "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum" plus "Jolene" (from his new Together Through Life CD).

The title seems telling; if there's anyone we've been together through life with in America, it's Bob Dylan. He switches from guitar to keyboard; he cues his band with glances; he does not, of course, address the audience. Dylan's "stage presence" in front of an audience is much like it is off stage, an impenetrab le wall that only lets out or takes in exactly what Dylan chooses. He's earned the right to be and do exactly as he chooses to be and do. The quality of his song-writi ng both over the years and in the last several years pretty much puts him beyond reproach.  What you take away from one of these shows is in a large part determined by what you bring to it; he's certainly not going to tell you what to feel or think.

We're here on the coast relaxing with a couple of days off before picking up the tour again tomorrow in Durham. Will report more down the road.

***

Carl Hanni is a music writer, music publicist, disc jockey and vinyl archivist living in Tucson, AZ. He  hosts the vinyl-only Scratchy Record Show every Tuesday night at the Red Room in downtown Tucson, and spins records wherever and whenever he can. He believes that in a better (all analog) world all records would be released on vinyl, but takes good music from wherever he finds it--even on CD. His feature piece on legendary bass player/rec ord producer Harvey Brooks was recently published in Goldmine.

Some shows on sale as early as August 1 for November tour.

By Blurt Staff

In celebratio n of the 20th anniversar y of the release of their classic 1989 album  ;Doolittle, the band - Bla ck Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering - will kick off US leg of the Doolittle tour  at the Palladium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, November 4.  The U.S. tour will hit a total of nine cities, including three dates in New York City.  On-s ale dates will vary city to city, but some tickets go on sale as early as this Saturday, August 1 via Ticketbast ard. See below for full itinerary and on sale informatio n.

On this tour, the Pixies will perform all of the songs from  Doolittle and its related B-sides, "Weird at My School," "Dancing the Manta Ray," and "Bailey's Walk" among them.  Doolittle, the band's third album and the first to chart on Billboard' s albu m charts, includes classics such as "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation ," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," and "Gouge Away."

"We wanted to do something special for Doolittle' s 20th anniversar y," said Black Francis, "and we thought his was a good opportunit y to play all of the songs from that album, something we don't normally do at a regular gig."

The US dates will follow the seven-city /12-date "Doolittle " trek of the UK and Europe.  Kick ing off on September 30 in Dublin, most dates have already sold out, including a four-night stand at London's Brixton Academy, where some 20,000 tickets vanished in about an hour.  In addition, on August 29, the band will perform a straight-a head Pixies set of their classic songs spanning their entire career at the Virgin Festival at Burl's Creek Park outside of Toronto.

The Boston-for med Pixies disbanded in 1993 and launched their reunion tour in April, 2004.The US Doolittle tour will be the band's first American trek since 2005. It coincides with the release of the massive Minotaur box (details HERE) which ships in October.

Dates and on sale info for the Pixies US "Doolittle Tour" are as follows:

NOVEMBER

4 The Palladium, Los Angeles, CA - on sale TBA

8 Fox Theater, Oakland, CA - on sale August 16

9 Fox Theater, Oakland, CA - on sale August 16

12 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA - on sale August 1

13 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA - on sale August 1

14 Hult Center, Eugene, OR - on sale August 14

16 The Fillmore, Denver, CO - on sale September 12

20 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL - on sale September 12

21 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL - on sale September 12

23  Hammerstei n Ballroom, New York, NY - on sale August 14

24 Hammerstei n Ballroom, New York, NY - on sale August 14

25 Hammerstei n Ballroom, New York, NY - on sale August 14

27 Wang Center, Boston, MA - on sale September 12

30 Constituti on Hall, Washington , D.C. - on sale September 11

Pixies V Festival and UK/Europea n "Doolittle Tour" dates are:

AUGUST

29 V Festival, Burl's Creek Park, Ontario, Canada

SEPTEMBER

30    Olym pia,   Dubl in, Ireland - SOLD OUT

OCTOBER

 1 Olympia,&n bsp;  Dublin, Ireland  &nbs p;SOLD OUT

 2 Olympia,&n bsp;  Dublin, Ireland SOLD OUT 

 4 SECC - Hall 4, Glasgow, Scotland

 6 Brixton Academy, London, England   SOLD OUT

 7 Brixton Academy, London, England SOLD OUT

 8&nb sp; Brixton Academy, London, England SOLD OUT

 9&nb sp; Brixton Academy, London, England SOLD OUT

11 Jahrhunder halle, Frankfurt, Germany

13 Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, Holland

14 Forest National, Brussels, Belgium   SOLD OUT

15 Zenith, Paris, France  

16 Zenith, Paris, France

Erstwhile Japan frontman and all-round musical polymath returns on Sept. 15

By Blurt Staff

Following up 2003's Blemish, composer David Sylvian will drop his new solo album Manafon on September 15 via his own SamadhiSou nd label. It's being described as "a work of nuance and stern musicality that is also intriguing , suspensefu l, and horribly beautiful."

The details, per Sylvian and the label:

A completely modern kind of chamber music. Intimate, dynamic, emotive, democratic , economical . In sessions in London, Vienna, and Tokyo, Sylvian assembled the world's leading improviser s and innovators , artists who explore free improvisat ion, space-spec ific performanc e, and live electronic s. From Evan Parker and Keith Rowe, to Fennesz and members of Polwechsel , to Sachiko M and Otomo Yoshihide, the musicians provide both a backdrop and a counterwei ght to his own vocal performanc es - which, minus one instrument al, are nakedly the center of each piece.

Sylvian's voice has never been so dominant or so striking, and his resonant tenor and deliberate vibrato captivate the listener from the start of "Small Metal Gods." Its prominence would come off as egotistica l - except that each performanc e is an exercise in self-expos ure, and each character study is written in the third-pers on, to allow the maximum detachment .

"It's like a one-man monologue in which every change of light and backdrop is crucial to the carrying of the central performanc e. It's an ensemble work even though there is a central performanc e." Though the setlist is all ballads, romanticis m is out, and no percussion provides a pulse. All the melody and rhythm rest in the voice. Aside from overdubs of acoustic guitar or John Tilbury's somber, Feldman-es que phrases on piano, Sylvian enhanced but did not reconfigur e the improvisat ions, giving himself just the skeletons of songs to guide him.

When an instrument locks with the lyrics - as when Fennesz introduces a texture that clinches the disaster of "Snow White in Appalachia " - the moment is indescriba ble; when it dissolves, Sylvian doesn't pause. Neither a complement nor a Greek chorus, the instrument alists maintain an ambiguous attitude to the singer, and what he's saying. When Sylvian's delivery implies sympathy or mockery on "The Greatest Living Englishman ," the music is cantankero us but dry, and Otomo Yoshihide' s abrupt snippets of classical vinyl may or may not share the joke.

The closing track, "Manafon," depicts the British poet R. S. Thomas. Sylvian explains that it is "a descriptio n of a man of faith, who struggles with that faith, who imposes an order on the external world in the hope of finding it internally . A man who embraces the morals and values of his faith and lives by them but who also struggles with the silence that burns inside his own heart and mind. God's silence. He's a man out of time who begins to look, on the surface, more like some tragicomic figure as time passes. While he seems to be an insufferab le individual in many ways there's a quixotic element in his quest for knowledge, for upholding morals and values that even he struggles with when it comes to believing in their efficacy."

Manafon's contradict ions lay at the heart of its excellence . It's driven not just by the tension between improvisat ion and compositio n, frontman and ensemble, or in Sylvian's words, "intimacy and solitude." Manafon captures the dilemma of a man who studies himself clincicall y, but cannot truly understand himself; who's disillusio ned, but maybe laughably so. The most common sensation, which hangs in almost every note, is a feeling of suspense. The sole instrument al - to which Sylvian also contribute s - sounds less like a performanc e, and more like a wellspring of possibilit ies.

The album ends simply on a phrase and a breath. But there's a happier ending in its other theme: Manafon also explores the creative process. Intuition drew Sylvian to these pieces and these players, and the surprises they bring: a cello visiting like a warm hand on a forehead, the unpredicta ble use of unadultera ted sine waves, the brassy path of Evan Parker's soprano sax solo. Manafon has a forbidding core, but aesthetica lly, each piece is an engrossing discovery.

"Maybe I'm attracted to the stories of individual s who search for meaning on their own terms," says Sylvian. "But what I'm fascinated by is the devotion to a creative discipline . The meaning with which the work imbues the life regardless of its reception and, to a certain extent, its importance ."

Sept. 2008 concert in Nashville gets national airing.

By Blurt Staff

On most Saturday nights since January 2004, Levon Helm has hosted evenings of music at the "barn," his home studio in Woodstock, New York. These magical nights are called The Midnight Ramble Sessions. On September 17, 2008, Helm took the Midnight Ramble on the road to one of America's treasured venues, Nashville' s historic Ryman Auditorium , where -- accompanie d by guests who include Buddy Miller, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow and Sam Bush -- the Levon Helm Band gave birth to a night of stage magic. Captured in pristine high definition Levon Helm - Ramble At The Ryman is part of special programmin g airing on PBS in August 2009 (check local listings).

The performanc e features tunes from Helm's tenure with The Band, as well as selections from the 2008's Dirt Farmer and classics from artists such as Chuck Berry, the Carter Family and more. (Helm recently released his new album Electric Dirt (Dirt Farmer Music/Vang uard.)

The Ryman taping came on the heels of Dirt Farmer, Helm's first solo recording in 25 years, which won a Grammy for Best Traditiona l Folk Album. Meanwhile, Rolling Stone hailed his Midnight Ramble as "2008's Best Jam Session" and the Americana Music Associatio n bestowed on him the Artist of the Year Award.

See below for a preview clip of the PBS program.

Songs featured in the broadcast:

"Ophelia"
"Back to Memphis
"Fannie Mae"
"Baby Scratch My Back"
"Evangelin e"
"No Depression in Heaven"
"Wide River to Cross"
"Deep Elem Blues"
"Rag Mama Rag"
"Time Out for the Blues"
"The Shape I'm In"
"The Weight"

See video clips below. Can a collaborat ion with They Might Be Giants be that far off now?

By Fred Mills

The NME is reporting this morning that PJ Harvey performed a pair of brand new tunes during a solo show (sans John Parrish, with whom she collaborat ed earlier this year for the A Woman A Man Walked By album and subsequent tour). It took place Saturday (July 25) at the Camp Bestival show in Angland and the songs were apparently titled "The Last Living Rose" and "Let England Shake."

Harvey played electric guitar, piano, electric harp and a drum machine during the show, and for "Let England Shake," according to NME.com, she played the harp while sampling musical chestnut "Istanbul (Not Constantin ople)" by The Four Lads (which has been covered by numerous acts over the years, most famously They Might Be Giants).

Classic 1970 performanc e long in the can, finally being released. See video clip, below.

By Fred Mills

With the recent news of a fall tour of the U.S. from Leonard Cohen (most cities have tickets going on sale August. 3) fresh in mind, word also arrives that the bard's celebrated performanc e at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival will finally see the light of day.

According to MusicTap, it will be a 2-disc CD/DVD set "with the complete audio of the concert on the CD, and the complete visual experience on DVD that also includes newly shot interviews with Kris Kristoffer son, Joan Baez, and Judy Collins."

The projected title is My Sad and Famous Songs: Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight - 1970 and it's slated for a September 29 release on Legacy. Fans who've seen the previously released Isle of Wight 1970 documentar y film, of course, know this will be a must-see, as the clip of Cohen from that film, below, illustrate s.

Kickass new album en route in two weeks....

By Blurt Staff

Aw, you just gotta love press releases like this. It pretty much sums up how we here at BLURT feel about this band. Plus anything with Roscoe's involvemen t floats our boat as well. Watch the website for a review of the album soon, too. It's due August 11 from Bloodshot. Read on...

***

In a country where interstate s don't take you to new places, but to the same places, where everywhere you go you've already been or you've just left, The Bottle Rockets' new album absolutely nails a sound and a vibe with a palpable sense of place. Lean Forward is suffused with the determinat ion and resilience of their distinctly midwestern roots; theirs is a celebratio n of pragmatism and tempered optimism, not the delusions and exhortatio ns of glassy eyed zealots-th ey aren't going to fall for that. Oh, it's a flat out, smoking rock record, too.

Lean Forward continues the Rockets' creative resurgence ignited by 2006's Zoysia. Reunited with producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel (who ran the knobs on the Bottle Rockets' seminal albums The Brooklyn Side and 24 Hours A Day), the Bottle Rockets do what no other band does better--lo ok into the hearts and minds and faces of the dying small towns in America and craft populist anthems with the sympatheti c eye of Woody Guthrie and sonic stomp of Crazy Horse. They are songs that demand the windows be rolled down and the volume turned up. And with the hooks, you'll wonder how they make such problems sound so good ...

Lean Forward is stacked with a sharp lyricism and gritty fatalism that looks off the front porch for inspiratio n, and has the locked down groove of a band on top of its game. "The Long Way" looks on the bright side of the path not intentiona lly taken and works into a joyous song-endin g jam. Songs like "Done It All Before" and "Get on the Bus" shine with an irresistib le buoyancy, as does "Shame on Me" which gets to the meat of the relationsh ip matter that, despite our best intentions , we're all gonna screw up. "Hard Times" whips up a ZZ Top-inflec ted boogie with effortless mastery and a dual guitar attack that'll put some much-neede d flare back in your jeans.

On "Kid Next Door," the lyrics bypass protest in favor of simple commentary on a war coming home, making it a far more powerful song no matter where one stands on the issue. It's a stone cold classic and handled with the deftness and conviction that speaks to the Rockets' sober-mind ed realism. To see that they've still got scruffy punk moxie to spare, look no further than "The Way It Used To Be" and the channeling of Bo Diddley via the Stooges on "Nothing but a Driver."

With their 15th anniversar y now in the rear view mirror, the Bottle Rockets show no signs of letting up. Lean Forward is an album that celebrates the forces of erosion not earthquake s, of the marathon not the sprint. Honed in their towns and on their back roads, it is distinctly the Bottle Rockets.  Rather than be confining, this identity broadens the appeal and strength of their music far from their backyards into our own.  Their specificit y speaks universall y and the message is a simple one: Lean forward, man, because it beats falling back.

--

My Dinner With Tad (or, Adventures with Option Magazine, Pt.1)

By Johnny Mnemonic

"You finished with that?"

Tad Doyle, lumberjack frontman for his eponymous Seattle band Tad, comes into focus as my head slowly swivels to the left. Flecks of pasta and spaghetti sauce decorate his thick black beard like the glittery remains of a visit to the dance club. This ain't no disco, however, and he ain't foolin' around, either: Doyle is poking a Cuban cigar-size d finger at my half-eaten plate of lasagna, and the look on his face is the same kind of look a Looney Tunes wolf gets when it's gazing at some potential prey and doesn't see a duck or a bunny at all but a steaming, home-cooke d meal smothered in tasty sauces.

"Um, yeah, uh, I, uh, guess so," I stammer, and with a bright, "Cool!" Doyle reaches across, picks up my plate, and summarily dumps the remains upon his plate, which has already been so scrupulous ly cleaned of every last crumb that to the casual onlooker it would appear Doyle hadn't even received his initial order yet. My hand reflexivel y shoots out to grab my soft drink before it, too, can pass into the public domain.

In our dining party: the entire Tad band, plus their roadie/dri ver and a photograph er friend of mine. The 2 a.m. wares of this 24-hour Italian-Gr eek diner located a half-mile away from L.A.'s Sunset Strip appear to agree with everyone, not the least of them being Doyle, who I swear is now eyeing his bandmates' plates, too. Bassist Kurt Danielson chuckles at my discombobu lation, winking knowingly at guitarist Gary Thorstense n as if this is just another on-the-roa d mealtime ritual. It might not be a coincidenc e that Danielson, Thorstense n and drummer Steve Wied are rock-star thin, in striking contrast to Doyle, who to my untrained eye clocks in at around 300 pounds.

The occasion of this late-night pasta picnic is an assignment from Option magazine. It's the spring of 1991 and Tad's second full-lengt h, the Butch Vig-produc ed 8-Way Santa, was released a few months ago by Sub Pop, and everyone from the label to the music press to the musicians themselves is counting on this to be their breakout record. Option, while having positioned itself over the course of its half-decad e tenure as a kind of indie music bible, somehow managed to discount the subterrane an rumblings emanating from the Northwest over the past few years, and as a result early Sub Pop acts like Green River, Mudhoney, Afghan Whigs and even Nirvana all got short shrift from the magazine. Now, though, with even mainstream publicatio ns starting to turn their gaze towards Seattle, Option can't afford to remain behind the curve so the Tad piece is essentiall y the magazine scrambling to play catch-up.

(Truth be told, Option, in its drive to become a musical tastemaker and a so-called alternativ e to the alterna-li kes of the ‘mer sh-tilting Spin, has gradually adopted a somewhat provincial attitude towards the more hirsute, blue-colla r, hard-rock leaning elements of the Amerindie undergroun d. This developmen t is both a source of mirth and frustratio n among the magazine's pool of mostly unpaid writers. There's a lot of really, really great heavy-ass music cropping up all over the country and not just in Seattle, but much of what we're sent by the magazine to review is of the twee/K Records and home-brewe d "cassette culture" variety. The upside is th